Miss Marple, you say?! I have been planning to do this particular book tag for a long while now, but…well, things got busy. But here I am at last, and better late than never. I just had to do it − again, I say, it’s Miss Marple!

 

The original tag was created by James Holder, on his Youtube channel, which you can find here. I’m picking up the broad “consider yourself tagged” by Rosie Cockshutt, whose Booktube channel can be found here. Also, I’m considering myself tagged from Jeremy Fee’s video, which you can find here

 

For the fun of it, I’m going to answer all of these without using other Agatha Christie novels for my answers!

 

  1. The Murder at the Vicarage: A book about, or set in, a small town or village?

I will choose Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery, because it is a really interesting case for this prompt. The story takes place during World War I and closely follows along with the major events of the war, from the perspective of the Canadian women and the people left behind. Yet the story never leaves its small town setting, never travels outside of Four Winds, P.E.I. It’s fascinating to focus on the impact upon these people who are so far away from the war itself, and yet so intimately connected to it at the same time.

 

  1. The Body in the Library: A book with a pivotal scene set in a library?

It took me an embarrassingly long time to find a good answer for this prompt, especially since I made the executive decision not to promote Harry Potter just now. Instead, I settled on Thimble Summer, by Elizabeth Enright. This book is about Garnet Linden, a young farmer girl who gets into a series of wacky scrapes in the American Midwest, during the 1930s. In one such adventure, Garnet and her friend Citronella accidentally get locked into the library at closing time, and have to spend the night there. (Which kind of sounds like the dream, amiright??)

 

  1. The Moving Finger: A book in which the protagonist is trolled, harassed, subject to a rumo[u]r campaign, or falsely accused?

There are actually quite a few stories I could use here, but I will go with Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, which you may remember seeing all over the Internet in 2020. The main characters are the son of the American President, and the grandson of the British Queen, and are thus subject to all kinds of harassment, rumour campaigns, and tabloid stories. Without going into spoilers, the final act of the book focuses heavily on rumour campaigns and tabloid harassment.

 

  1. A Murder is Announced: A book in which there is a sympathetic depiction of a Marxist, or equivalent?

I will go with the Will Darling adventures by K. J. Charles, the first book of which is Slippery Creatures. One of the main characters, Kim Secretan, is an aristocrat with strong Bolshevik leanings for which he gets into some legal trouble. Although Kim later distances himself from the political views of the actual Bolshevik leaders, he more or less keeps his belief in the importance of a more egalitarian society.

 

  1. They Do It With Mirrors: A book in which performance plays a major role?

I really have a nice array of choices from Noel Streatfeild’s books, but I will select Ballet Shoes as one book where the reader actually gets to see a lot of the performances. The three young girls are enrolled in a prestigious ballet school, and as the book progresses, each girl must decide what she wants to make of her future.

 

  1. A Pocket Full of Rye: A book based upon or inspired by a nursery rhyme, fairy tale, myth, or other work of fiction?

Wow, we really went broad with that last addition on the list! I’ll go with Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, which is a beautiful retelling of the Rumplestiltskin fairytale. It also draws upon Russian folklore about Chernybog and Balbog, as well as Jewish religious traditions.

 

  1. 4.50 From Paddington: A book in which more than two suitors pursue the main protagonist?

That’s the main takeaway we’re getting from this book?? Okay, then! I will recommend the novel Arabella, by Georgette Heyer. It has a fantastic, screwball-type premise: our intrepid heroine pretends that she has a massive fortune, just to teach an arrogant jerk a lesson…and then, of course, the lie gets out. Poor Arabella finds herself being pursued by half the fortune-hunters of Regency-era London! It is a very funny, and wild, madcap ride.

 

  1. The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side: A book about a changing world?

My choice is The Lions of Al-Rassan, by Guy Gavriel Kay. While the book takes place in a parallel universe, it closely follows the Reconquista in which Christian Spain invaded and took over Al-Andalus, aka Muslim Spain. The story focuses on the major players as they make choices and take actions that drastically alter the shape of their world.

 

I have a second recommendation for this category as well: The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline. We actually read this book for one of our monthly buddy reads, and you can find our review here. For the purposes of this prompt, I’ll just say that the book is set in a dystopian near-future in which the Indigenous protagonists are on the run from the Canadian government.

 

  1. A Caribbean Mystery: A book about, or set in, the Caribbean?

Honestly, I haven’t read a ton of books set in the Caribbean, and I really wouldn’t recommend some of the ones I have read. I’m going to rectify that at some point, but meanwhile, I will go with Rafael Sabatini’s Captain Blood. The story is set mainly in Jamaica and on the Caribbean seas. It follows a group of morally righteous pirates who revolt from a plantation owner, commandeer a ship, and proceed to prowl and loot all over the high seas.

 

  1. At Bertram’s Hotel: A book about artifice?

The Ivy Tree, by Mary Stewart. On a visit to England, Mary Grey is hired by a stranger to impersonate Annabel Winslow, a woman who had mysteriously disappeared several years ago. Their plan is for Mary to manipulate Annabel’s grandfather into leaving his estate to Annabel’s cousin. But Mary also has secrets and an agenda of her own, as does every other person around her. I’m not going any further into it, because spoilers! I’ll just say that the mystery plot was full of some great twists and turns.

 

  1. Nemesis: A book featuring a quest?

Really, any of the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander would qualify, but it would be best to start at the beginning. The first of the series is The Book of Three, in which the protagonist Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, is on a quest to find his oracular pig Hen Wen, before the latter is captured by the dreaded Horned King. (Have I piqued your interest? It is a tremendously fun story!)

 

  1. Sleeping Murder: A book in which the past haunts the present?

For this, the final published Marple novel, I will recommend Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley. The story follows dual timelines, one contemporary and one during the Seven-Years-War between British Canada and French Canada. It is particularly well suited for this prompt: in each of the dual timelines, the characters are deeply affected by the events of their pasts. Oh, and did I mention the ghost? There is a literal ghost too.

 

Herein lies the end of official list of questions for the book tag.

 

HOLD ON, THOUGH. How can you have a Miss Marple book tag, and not have a thirteenth question based upon The Thirteen Problems? It was right there! Well, I’ll just have to rectify that.

 

  1. The Thirteen Problems: A book in which an overlooked elderly character kicks metaphorical butt?

I’ll use this opportunity to shout out my beloved Terry Pratchett and his Witches’ series, the first book of which is Wyrd Sisters. In said first book, the evil, Macbethian king underestimates Granny Weatherwax and her headology, which is a grave error on his part! And by the way, I’m sure Miss Marple would have loved to share a cup of tea and a cozy chat with Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg.

Title page for Rilla of Ingleside by L M Montgomery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title page for Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright

 

Cover page of Red, White & Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover page of Slippery Creatures, by K. J. Charles

 

Title page for Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover for Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik

 

Cover for Arabella by Georgette Heyer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover page for The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay

 

An Indigenous Canadian boy with a streak of white paint on his cheek against a dark blue background

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover page for The Ivy Tree, by Mary Stewart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover page for The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

 

Cover page for Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover page for Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

 

 

 

 

And there it is, my answers for the Miss Marple Book Tag! I can’t believe it took me so long; this was tremendously fun. I actually didn’t make any changes to the questions, for once, so I guess they were well-drafted for my subconscious’s sake.

 

Lastly, I have some recommendations for anyone who is new to the awesomeness that is Miss Marple. To be clear, these are not necessarily my favourite Marple books, though there is definitely some overlap. Rather, these are my suggestions for good entry points to the wonderful world of Marple:

 

  • The Thirteen Problems: (aka The Tuesday Club Murders) Starting at the start is always a good idea! Also, since this is a collection of short stories, it might be easier to get into.
  • Murder at the Vicarage: Since this was Miss Marple’s first full-length novel, Agatha Christie kind of reintroduces the character for the masses.
  • The Body in the Library: A classic for a reason! It’s also a more active Marple story, and one in which we finally get to see our beloved Miss Marple’s thoughts.
  • A Murder is Announced: This one is a great showcase for Miss Marple. She gets to draw comparisons to village life, have poignant conversations, get snubbed by snobby police officers, and practice her ventriloquism.

 

Since I was tagged via an open-ended “consider yourself tagged”, I will pass it along here. If you’ve read this blog post and you would like to do this book tag, then consider yourself tagged! And if you do end up reading any of the Marple books mentioned above, let us know what you thought of it in the comments!

 

Last year, we at Page and Prose decided to do The 52 Book Club’s annual reading challenge. Although we didn’t actually finish the list of prompts, we had a ton of fun in the process, and you can see how far we got right here. As such, we have resolved to do this year’s reading challenge as well!

 

We are going to follow the same rules as we did last year:

  • Hailey’s listed books will not be the same as my listed books, because where is the fun in that?
  • We are not counting any of the books we reread within this calendar year. Hailey and I reread books a lot, so it would be an unfair advantage on our part. That is right, Hailey, we are not getting rid of this rule! It would be WAYYY too easy otherwise!
  • We are also not counting books that we end up DNFing, because obviously.
  • On the other hand, we are allowed to interpret questions as creatively as we like. If we can defend how a book fits one of the prompts, it counts!
  • If either of us fails to complete the challenge, we will face an as-yet-undetermined Dire Consequence.

Continue reading “The 52 Book Club: 2022 Reading Challenge”

 

 

 🥂 Happy New Year, readers! May your books be ever plentiful! 📚

 

So, it has been a long while since last we posted on the website, because things have been absolutely nuts. But here we are, mostly alive and definitely kicking! We are also still alive and active on our Instagram page, for which the handle is @pageandprosereviews. And in more good news, Hailey and I plan to resume our monthly buddy reads, starting with Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey.

 

2021 has come and gone, and therefore, it is the end of all annual reading challenges for that year. Hailey and I, in and excess of overachieving, made the ambitious decision to complete TWO reading challenges. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish either of the list of prompts by the end of the year, but you can see just how far we made it on the Indigo Reading Challenge here, and you can find our 52 Book Club Reading Challenge here. I have to say, we did pretty well, all things considered!

 

Nonetheless, since we did not finish our reading challenges, we must now face a Dire Consequence. And we have every intention of following through with it…as soon as we come up with a Dire Consequence for ourselves.

 

I don’t really like doing top ten lists, or “Best of the Year” lists. There are so many fantastic 2021 books that I haven’t yet read, and so I would always feel that a Best of the Year list was incomplete. Instead, here are a few 2021 books that I absolutely loved, and would whole-heartedly recommend:

 

 

  • A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine: Technically, only the latter part of this duology was published in 2021. However, since I am recommending the duology as a whole, it doesn’t really matter. This series tells a beautiful, brilliant, devastating story about colonialism, and identity, and humanity, and also giant space battles. If you prefer action and adventure in your science fiction, the duology has it in spades. If you prefer philosophy in your science fiction, there is plenty of that as well. Really, it is a win all around! (Science fiction)

 

  • Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, by Alexis Hall: Remember how the wholesome delightfulness of the Great British Bake-Off helped many people through the past two years? This book follows the titular Rosaline Palmer as she juggles competing on a GBBO-type show, raising her precocious daughter on her own, and navigating the various relationships in her life. Oh, and it is absolutely hilarious in a wryly British manner, so that’s a major plus as well. (Contemporary fiction)

 

  • The Witch’s Heart, Genevieve Gornichec: A beautiful, heart-breaking retelling of the Norse mythology around Ragnarok. The story follows a witch named Angrboda, who has suffered betrayal and cruelty at the hands of the Aesir, and wants nothing more than to be left alone now…but the world is not yet done with her. I was sorely disappointed with the sexism in Madeline Miller’s Circe (see my post here for more), and this book was a fantastic antidote to all of my frustrations. PS: Hailey, you should really read it! It is tailor-made for you, and it prominently features Loki! (Fantasy/Norse mythology)

 

  • Longshadow, by Olivia Atwater: The third in a trilogy of loosely connected fairy tales — as in, with literal fairies — set in an alternate history version of Regency England. The story follows a young apprentice magician named Abigail, who is determined to make her adoptive parents proud by solving a string of high-profile murder, with the help of her wits, her magic skills, and a mysterious young woman who keeps appearing in strange places. You can pick up any of these books as a standalone adventure, but I would really recommend reading all three in order, because some of the characters recur over the series. And if Studio Ghibli is looking for new source material, all three of Atwater’s Regency fairy tales would make AMAZING Ghibli movies! (Fairy tale/Alternate history)

Cover for A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Title page for A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady MartineTitle page for Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, by Alexis Hall

Title page for The Witch's Heart, by Genevieve GornichecTitle page for Longshadow by Olivia Atwater

 

 

In some book-related news: my own brilliant, talented, marvelous sister was chosen as one of the authors for for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021 anthology, and her short story is the very first one in the collection! I am so incredibly proud of her.

 

Readers, have you read any of the books listed above? And what were some of your favourite books from 2021?

 

 

 

Hello, dear readers!

 

September (and frankly October) has been a busy time for myself and Hailey, in our personal lives, but we still have some updates for you!

 

First off: our September buddy read was Mary Hoffman’s YA novel City of Masks, which is the first book in the Stravaganza series. This was my first Hoffman book, and I definitely want to check out further books in this series. You can see our thoughts about the book here.

 

It is almost the end of the year, but Hailey and I are making excellent progress on our two (!) reading challenges for 2021. You can follow along with our progress or the Indigo Reading Challenge here, and you can find our 52 Book Club Reading Challenge here.

 

We put up our first ever reader opinion poll, which you can find here. Feel free to vote on your favourite hero of Jane Austen’s novels! Why Austen, you say? Why not Austen, is my answer!

 

September is also back-to-school month, and coincidentally, I’ve received a few requests for book recommendations on good children’s literature. As such, I thought it would be fun to structure this month’s recommendations around children’s books that readers of all ages would enjoy:

 

 

  • The Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander: The first book in a five-part series, although it can stand alone as well. Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper sets out to rescue his pig, and gets dragged dragged into a magical quest that could change the future of Prydain. (High fantasy)

 

  • The Ordinary Princess, by M. M. Kaye: A new favourite for me! A fairytale in the style of Gail Carson Levine’s The Fairy’s Mistake, or Ella Enchanted. Princess Amy is an awesome, kickass heroine, who is determined to make her own way in the world, and this book is tremendous fun. (Fairytale)

 

  • This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall, by Gordon Korman: Can you believe that Korman was twelve when he wrote this book? After they get in trouble at school and are separated, best friends Bruno and Boots plot and scheme to be reunited. In the process, they turn their school upside down with skunks, ants, and diplomatic incidents. I would recommend the whole MacDonald Hall series — they are all very, very funny. (Contemporary/school days)

 

  • Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery: Well, I certainly hope you already know about this book! But I’ve added it to the list, in case anyone worries that this is a difficult or boring book by virtue of being a classic. Orphaned Anne Shirley is sent to live with the elderly Cuthberts on Prince Edward Island, where she immediately sets out to win hearts and conquer challenges. There are eight books in this series, as well as three short story collections, so there is plenty of material for a voracious reader! (Classic/historical)

Cover page of The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

Cover page for The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye

Cover page of Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery

 

 

By the way, I’m assuming that you’ve already heard of (for instance) the Harry Potter series; my goal above is to draw attention to some books that people maybe haven’t already read.

 

As always, our Instagram page is still going strong, and you can check out our latest posts here. Feel free to follow us there! Also, message us, send us your recommendations — we would love to hear from you.

 

Happy fall reading!

 

 

 

Happy autumn, dear readers!

 

I’m going to level with you: we do not have a ton of August updates on the Page and Prose website. As it happened, I had a personal family tragedy last month, which is also why my wrap-up post is a bit late. Nonetheless, we still have a few updates to pass along!

 

First off, if you aren’t already following us on Instagram, you are missing out! Hailey has been curating some beautiful book photography for the P&P Instagram page, which you can find here. Throughout August, we also posted some short reviews, and kept building out the community with fun discussion questions. Drop by, have a chat, send us a message!

 

For the same aforementioned personal family reasons, we do not have a monthly buddy read for August. We’ll be posting our next buddy read, namely City of Masks by Mary Hoffman, in September. Meanwhile, check out our full review for our previous buddy read, namely Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves, which can be found here !

 

Hailey and I continue to update our reading challenges, and we’re doing rather well if I do say so myself! You can check out the updated list for the 2021 Indigo Reading Challenge here, and our updated list for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge is here.

 

🍁🍂☕📚🍂🍁

 

 

In some book-related news: Kit Rocha’s second novel in the Mercenary Librarians series was released on August 31, and I am very, very excited to read it. I have struggled with dystopian fiction since the world was hit by a plague, but I find post-apocalyptic literature strangely reassuring.

 

Second book news: the trailer for Amazon’s Wheel of Time series was released recently — and it looks rather good! I read the first three or four books of the series, and I don’t think I’ll finish the series (I’m sorry, but Rand is SUCH an idiot). Having said that, I’m going to give the TV show a shot.

 

As I said at the top of this post, it is officially autumn and the weather is reflecting it! I am in the mood for pumpkin spice drinks, candlelight, and autumnal books. Do you have any recommendations for Hailey or me, readers?

 

May you enjoy all your bookish endeavours!

 

 

 

Hello, readers!

 

July is gone, but its spirit lives on! Below is a compilation of some of the additions Hailey and I made to the Page and Prose website over the month of July.

 

Hailey has been building out our Instagram page, which you can find here. Come for the lovely monochromatic bookstack photography, stay for the fun Question of the Day in the comments section!

 

We finished our second monthly buddy read, on Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves. Our full review can be found here, and you can also find a short review on our Instagram page (which again, is right here). We chose this book as part of our stated goal to read books by and about Indigenous peoples of Canada throughout the month of July — more on that later!

 

We weathered our first major technological crisis this month, which incidentally, is why our July wrap-up has been posted in August. It was all very exciting — the White Screen of Death! Critical error messages! Terror and mayhem! Anyway, let’s never do that again.

 

Hailey and I began the 2021 Indigo Reading Challenge, because we both had soooo much free time (she sobbed into her TBR list). Anyway, you can track how well we are doing here, and do feel free to join in!

 

This July, Hailey and I wanted to highlight Indigenous storytellers all month. It has become more important than ever to educate ourselves and to seek out #OwnVoices stories. While we are by no means authorities on Indigenous literature or cultures, here are some books we have read and would recommend:

 

 

  • This Place: 150 Years Retold, by various authors: An anthology that gathers ten stories from the perspective of Indigenous Canadians, reclaiming the narrative of the past 150 years of history. Lush, beautiful artwork accompanies these poignant stories that range from true biography to futuristic science fiction.

 

  • The Inconvenient Indian, by Thomas King: A non-fiction summary of the atrocities faced by Indigenous peoples across North America. This book is both incredibly funny and emotionally devastating, and it is an excellent place to gain a background understanding of Indigenous history in Canada and the United States.

 

  • The Marrow Thieves, by Cherie Dimaline: Dark, dystopian, but also disturbingly familiar, the story follows a rag-tag group of Indigenous survivors trying to stay one step ahead of government agents who are intent on harvesting their marrow as a medical resource.

 

  • Canada’s Indigenous Constitution, by John Borrows: Another non-fiction book, this one discusses legal systems that existed in Canada long before European settlers ever arrived, through to modern Canadian/Aboriginal law. I found this book through my law school reading lists, and while it is definitely more technical than The Inconvenient Indian, the book undertakes the much-needed project of reframing Indigenous peoples’ relationship with Canadian law throughout history.

An Indigenous Canadian boy with a streak of white paint on his cheek against a dark blue background

 

 

 

 

If you have your own recommendations, send them over to us, or post them in the comments!

 

Once again, I should let you know that I am no expert on Indigenous literature or on the Indigenous cultures of Canada. If you want a better list by more informed people, you can try here, or here , or here. I highly recommend the American Indians in Children’s Literature blog, established by Dr. Debbie Reese, which provides detailed discussions on the representation of Indigenous peoples in children’s literature; you can find it here. And if you want to learn a bit about some of the Indigenous cultures of Canada, there is a free course online through the University of Alberta, which you can check out here . You can also see the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s reports on the residential schools and some of the horrors faced by Indigenous peoples in Canada here.

 

In some book-related news: it has been the month of Neil Gaiman around here. First, we got an announcement that Good Omens is getting a second season. Then, we heard that Anansi Boys is getting its very own adaptation. Most importantly of all, my mother read The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and she loved it so much that she now wants to read all of Neil Gaiman’s other works.

 

Happy reading, friends!

 

 

END OF CHALLENGE!

 

Remember how Hailey and I are planning to finish the 52 Book Club’s reading challenge for this year (here)? Well, we at Page and Prose decided that one can never have too much stress in their lives. In a spirit of excessive Canadian patriotism, we are going to complete the Indigo Reading Challenge for 2021!

 

Here are our ground rules for the challenge:

  • Hailey and I will include the full list of prompts below, drawn from the Indigo website (here).
  • We will add our answers for the items that we’ve already checked off between January 1, 2021 and the present date.
  • As the year unfolds, we will keep adding our answers to this blog post.
  • Once again, Hailey’s listed books will not be the same as my listed books.

 

Given the super-deluxe challenge of doing multiple book challenges at once, we will each be allowed two (2) repeats between this list and the 52 Book Club list.

 

Additional ground rules:

  • Rereads do not count! Newly read books only.
  • DNFing disqualifies a book from counting! Finished books only.
  • Creative interpretation is allowed, nay, encouraged!
  • Failure to complete this challenge will result in a yet-to-be-determined Dire Consequence.

Continue reading “Indigo Reading Challenge”

 

 

Hello, readers!

Over the past month, Hailey and I have made a lot of additions to the Page and Prose website, and what better way to keep track of them than in our blog? Mind you, this post is not meant to be a formal, structured log of activities. Instead, consider it a kind of news report/summary of things that you might want to explore.

 

First off, we finished our first monthly buddy read on T. Kingfisher’s A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, and our respective thoughts on the book can be found here.

 

Hailey and I also plan to complete the 52 Book Club’s 2021 reading challenge over the course of this year. You can follow our progress as we meet the various reading goals here. Feel free to join the reading challenge, and let us know of your progress!

 

Hailey set up our Instagram account, and you can check out her beautiful photography  and bookshelf compositions here. Our handle is @pageandprosereviews. We would love to chat with you on Instagram, so feel free to jump into our comments sections or send us a message!

 

June is Pride Month, and I really wanted to do something special to honour LGBTQIA+ stories and literature. As such, I have compiled a (short!) list of book recommendations across various genres, featuring LGBTQIA+ relationships and characters:

 

 

  • The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller: A beautiful retelling of the Trojan War cycle through the eyes of Patroclus, and centering on his love story with Achilles. (Greek mythology; YA literary fiction)

 

  • Red, White and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston: An own-voices new adult story about a grudging friendship that turns into something more, between the son of the American president and the grandson of the British queen. (New adult; coming-of-age)

 

  • A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine: A deeply philosophical and also thrillingly adventurous story about a young woman who is sent to a foreign planet as an ambassador, only to find mysteries and intrigue at every turn. (Science fiction)

 

  • The Will Darling Adventures, by K. J. Charles: A (now completed!) trilogy set in post-WWI era England, wherein former soldier Will Darling must deal with danger, secret societies, conspiracies, and murder. (Mystery; thriller) ***Note: contains explicit content!

 

  • Banner of the Damned, by Sherwood Smith: A young scribe travels from her peaceful, art-loving home to a brusque warrior society, where she must decide whether to break her vows and interfere in political events or sit by and watch the world plunge toward destruction. (High fantasy; political intrigue)

 

  • Starless, by Jacqueline Carey: A gender-fluid young warrior, soul-bound to a differently-abled princess, navigates assassination attempts and machinations as the two seek a a way to defeat an ancient evil. (High fantasy; adventure/quest)

Cover of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Cover page of Red, White & Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston

Cover page of A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine

Cover page of Slippery Creatures, by K. J. Charles

Cover page of Banner of the Damned, by Sherwood Smith

Cover page of Starless, by Jacqueline Carey

 

 

Have I sold you on any of them?

 

By the way, I am by no means an expert on LGBTQIA+ literature. If you want a more informed selection, I’d refer you to some curated lists by the CNN (here), CBC (here), The Guardian (here), and Penguin Random House (here).

 

I’ll end June’s post with a piece of book-related news: one of my favourite authors, Sherwood Smith is releasing a new book through her brand-new Patreon account (here). Sherwood has been through some exceptionally difficult times lately, what with perfidious agents, publication delays, and unpleasant vaccination side effects, so if you are a fan of her works, you may want to send some support her way.

 

We wish you well, in all your bookish endeavours!

 

END-OF CHALLENGE!

 

Every year, The 52 Book Club offers a reading challenge, which I like to think of as a scavenger hunt for readers. Since this is, after all, the launch of our new book blog, we at Page and Prose decided to challenge ourselves with this year’s list, with the goal of completing all items before December 31, 2021.

 

Here’s the thing, though — it is already mid-year of 2021, and we have already read quite a few books!

 

So here’s how we are going to proceed:

  • Hailey and I will include the full list of 52 prompts below.
  • We will add our answers for the items that we’ve already checked off between January 1, 2021 and the present date.
  • As the year unfolds, we will keep adding our answers to this blog post.
  • BOTH of us will be doing this, mind you – Hailey’s listed books will not be the same as my listed books, because where is the fun in that?

 

Additional ground rules:

  • We are not counting any of the books we reread within this calendar year. Hailey and I reread books a lot, so it would be an unfair advantage on our part.
  • We are also not counting books that we end up DNFing, because obviously.
  • On the other hand, we are both allowed to interpret questions as creatively as we like. If we can defend how a book fits one of the prompts, it counts!
  • If either of us fails to complete the challenge…hmm…I will have to come up with a Dire Consequence. Stay tuned!

Continue reading “The 52 Book Club: 2021 Reading Challenge”

Good morning, readers and writers! My name is Safiyya, my co-blogger is Hailey, and we are both very excited to embark upon this new journey!

We didn’t actually get tagged by anyone, but we are going to do the Book Blogger Newbie Tag all the same. It looks fun, it seems like a good way to meet people, and in all honesty, the set of questions is a great way to introduce people to this here book blog. I understand that the tag was invented by an author who has since deleted their blog, so I can’t provide the link for it, but I got the set of questions from The Bookaholic Dreamer blog, which you can find here. (And you should check it out, because Pauliina’s blog is lots of fun to follow!)

So here goes! Read more >