#pride ibi zoboi

[melanielocke]

Book recommendations: Retellings part 2

As I said in my previous book recommendations about retellings, there were far too many to put into one post, so I made a second also featuring retelling. Remember how the first one featured a sapphic Sleeping Beauty retelling? This post features two sapphic sleeping beauty retellings. And yet the three different sapphic sleeping beauty retellings are all very different and unique stories.

I'll start with Briar girls, the first of the sleeping beauty retellings

This one is not well known, I think, but I did enjoy it and it's sapphic. I'm honestly not sure if the characters are people of color but the author is.

Lena was cursed before she was born, and her touch is deadly. Interestingly, there's another book on his list that starts with the same premise. Lena has lived in fear and isolation her entire life and because of a mistake she recently moved to a new village. In the village, people are disappearing into the forest called the Silence and sometimes go back having gone mad. One night, Miranda appears from the forest, a girl from Gather, a city in the Silence where magic exists. She's on a quest to defeat the tyrannical rulers of the city, and offers to help Lena break her curse in exchange for help against the tyrannical rulers. To defeat these rulers, they'd need to wake the sleeping princess, which is where the sleeping beauty part comes in. This is a less traditional retelling, the major characters don't really follow the sleeping beauty characters, but the sleeping princess is a pretty major plot line.

Also by this author: Shatter the Sky duology

The Bone Spindle is the second sleeping beauty retelling, and follows two main characters in the first book.

Fi is a treasure hunter who loves books, ancient ruins, and mysteries. She goes on adventures alongside her sometimes partner Shane, a tough warrior axe lesbian.

During their explorations of old ruins, Fi pricks her finger on the bone spindle, which connects her to the ancient sleeping prince Briar Rose. Now she has no choice but to go on a quest to find and wake the prince, with magic, witch hunters and bad exes trying to stop her. And there's a mysterious witch that shows up sometimes, but they can't trust, and Shane might just end up falling in love with her.

This is the first in a trilogy, with book 2 coming out in February, and I'll have to reread book 1 before book 2 comes out because I don't remember enough. I think there's a cw for past abusive relationship for Fi, with the ex playing a big role in one section of the book.

Now for something completely different, Pride by Ibi Zoboi

This is a contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in a modern day afro latine community.

Zuri Benitez lives in "the hood", but the neighborhood she knows is rapidly gentrifying. The newest inhabitants are the Darcy family, a wealthy Black family with two teenage sons. Darius Darcy is this book's version of mr. Darcy, whereas his brother Ainsley is based on Mr. Bingley. Zuri instantly hates the Darcies, even as her older sister Janae is falling for Ainsley, but she and Darius are forced to find common ground.

This book is a hate to lovers romance, especially Zuri really hates Darius at first, but also deals with themes like gentrification and cultural identity. I loved how all the different P&P characters appear in this one and how many plot points are adapted to fit a modern day afro latine story.

Next up is Dark and Deepest Red by Anna Marie McLemore

In the Netherlands we have a big theme park called the Efteling which is based around stories and primarily fairytales. The oldest part is the fairytale forest, which has buildings and talking and moving statues and puppets depicting various fairytales. As a child, I loved the dancing red shoes, which is based on a fairytale that I didn't know at the time, but is about a girl who puts on red shoes and then can't take them off and is forced to keep dancing.

This book is a retelling of that fairytale. It is split up in two parts, one set in modern US and one set in Strasbourg in 1518.

In 1518, a strange sickness starts affecting the women of Strasbourg. A dancing plague that forces women to dance until they drop dead. Lala is a Roma woman hiding her cultural heritage in a time where it was legal to kill Roma. In public, she goes by the name Lavinia and explains her darker features by telling people she has Italian heritage. When the plague worsens and rumors of witchcraft arise, Lala becomes a suspect.

In the modern day story, Rosella comes from a latine family of shoe makers known for their red shoes. When she puts on a pair of red shoes, she can't take them off again. The only person who could help her is Emil, a Roma boy whose ancestors were blamed for dancing the plague in Strasbourg.

I love this author's writing, and have read two other books by them, both of which are magical realism. I think this one might count as magical realism too. Not all the strange events and magical happenings are explained in the end, so that might leave readers unsatisfied, but I think it was a conscious choice here. At its root, this is a story about racism, both in the 1500s and modern day. I also really liked that Lala's love interest Alifair is a trans boy who lives in the 1500s. Alifair is sort of adopted by Lala's aunt, whom Lala also lives with, so if you don't like those kinds of relationships, I wouldn't recommend this one.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust starts out a bit similar to Briar Girls

The protagonist, Soraya, was cursed and her touch is deadly. This book has been mentioned as sleeping beauty inspired, which would give us a fourth sapphic sleeping beauty retelling, but very loosely, and I couldn't really see it. It is, however, a retelling of a few stories from the Shahnameh, the Persian book of kings.

Soraya is the princess of Atashar and twin sister of the Shah, but she has spent her life in isolation, scared that she might hurt someone by accident if they came too close.

When her mother was young, she found a girl trapped in a net, and freed the girl. Then she encountered a div, a demon who told her she'd just freed his prisoner and as a punishment he would curse her daughter.

When the Shah's army captures a demon, Soraya sees an opportunity to find out if there's a way to break her curse, and learn more about why she is the way she is.

She makes some decisions that lead her to paths she never could have imagined, discovers the truth behind what really happened to her, and that her curse might really be a gift.

This story is about loneliness, and the early part especially feels heavy with how lonely Soraya is, and how much her curse weighs on her. Her complicated relationship with her mother, who may not have told her the truth about her curse, was very interesting and I loved Parvaneh, the div girl who was captured by army.

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas is a retelling of Peter Pan, set in a small coastal town in I think Oregon

Five years ago, Wendy Darling and her brothers disappeared. Several months later, Wendy turned up again with no memory of what happened to her, but her brothers stay gone. Now, children start disappearing and it might be connected to what happened to Wendy.

One night, she almost runs over an unconscious boy who turns out to be Peter Pan, a boy she told stories about but never realized was real. Peter tells her he needs Wendy's help to find the missing children, or they might disappear forever like her brothers.

This was an interesting take on Peter Pan, focusing primarily on Wendy and Peter Pan, with Peter's shadow as an antagonist. Wendy was a soft but strong main character, and I think the trauma of losing her brothers and not knowing what had happened was handled very well with lots of care and compassion.

Also by this author: The Sunbearer Trials, Cemetery Boys, both of which I covered before

The last book on this list is In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens

Prince Tal has spent most of his life hiding away in the palace to keep his forbidden magic secret. At sixteen, he finally gets to go out on a coming of age tour across the kingdom. After two days, they discover a burning ship abandoned on the sea, and on it a prisoner.

Tal instantly feels a connection to the boy, Athlen, but not longer after his rescue Athlen jumps into the sea and disappears. But a few days later he runs into Athlen again on land, very much alive. Then Tal is kidnapped by pirates holding him for ransom, and Athlen migh be his best chance of escaping.

This is a romantic fantasy retelling of the little mermaid, with Tal as the prince from the fairytale. It's not very long and the world could have been more developed, but the focus is mostly on the adventure and romance between Tal and Athlen.

Also by this author: So this is Ever After, which I covered in retellings part 1

Upcoming: Spell Bound, which will be about rival magicians with an m/nb romance, coming april 2023

@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @bottomdelioncourt @ikissedsmithparker

#In Deeper Waters #F.T. lukens #the bone spindle #leslie vedder #briar girls #rebecca kim wells #dark and deepest red #annamarie mclemore #pride #ibi zoboi #girl serpent thorn #melissa bashardoust #lost in the never woods #aiden thomas #books #book recommendations #retellings

[illustration-alcove]

Palesa Monareng’s illustrated endcovers for Ibi Zoboi’s Pride.

#palesa monareng #ibi zoboi #pride #american literature

[desdasiwrites]

– Ibi Zoboi, Pride

#book quote of the day #Ibi Zoboi #pride and prejudice retelling #ya #romance #realistic fiction #Zuri Benitez #Janae Lise Benitez #Bushwick #Afro-Latino protagonist #diverse reads #book quotes

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: Pride

Author: Ibi Zoboi

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2018

Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, retelling

Blurb: Zuri Benitez has pride - Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots - but pride might not be enough to save her rapidly-gentrifying neighbourhood from becoming unrecognisable. When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister Janae starts to fall for the charming Ainsley; she especially can’t stand the judgemental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding. With four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape...or lose it all.

#pride #ibi zoboi #standalone #2018 #fiction #romance #contemporary #retelling

[box-keeper]

On to my next read! I quite enjoy P&P so hopefully Pride will be up my alley. It really is a shame it's been unread on my self for so long.

#currently reading #pride #ibi zoboi #read #books #to read or to read #pride and prejudice #p&p

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Review: Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Author: Ibi ZoboiPublisher: Balzar + BrayReleased: September 18, 2018Received: Own (OwlCrate) Let me preface this review by saying that I adore retellings. I’ll read almost any that I come across, especially if it follows a favorite story of mine. Such as Pride and Prejudice. Enter: Pride by Ibi Zoboi. Pride is a modern remix of Pride and Prejudice that provides many unique takes on such a…

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#Balzar + Bray #Book #Book Review #Books #Fiction #Fiction Review #Ibi Zoboi #Literary #Literature #OwlCrate #Pride #Pride by Ibi Zoboi #Review #Romance

[forasecondtherewedwon]

Novels for Black History Month (Refreshed)

Titles, authors, and genres below the cut! Favourites are starred!

YA:

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas*

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas*

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant*

Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall

Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackson

Mystery/Thriller:

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby*

Lightseekers by Femi Kayode

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

Sci-fi/Fantasy/Magic Realism:

Rosewater by Tade Thompson

Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin*

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Historical:

Deacon King Kong by James McBride*

The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill*

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan*

Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan*

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson*

The Rib King by Ladee Hubbard

The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (May 2021)

Black Cloud Rising by David Wright Faladé*

Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe*

Contemporary:

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

New People by Danzy Senna

Swing Time by Zadie Smith*

Loving Day by Mat Johnson

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

The Turner House by Angela Flournoy

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson*

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams*

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson*

#Black History Month #book recommendations #redid the grid to add some new favourites! #rec 'em all but * are five-star faves

[writingquestionsanswered]

If allowed, I have a two-parter that is inspired by the Modern Classics post!

I’d like to ask about some books you enjoyed reading during 2023, and if there are any books you plan to read this year you’re willing to share!

I’m trying to get back into reading, and while I understand your and my taste are not explicitly the same, I think it’d be neat to see what you’ve read and plan to read. I also would enjoy just hearing that something was enjoyable! :)

Your blog is wonderful, thank you for having it!

2023 Books Read, 2024 TBR

I won't go into a detailed list of books I read last year or the books on my 2024 TBR, but I'll give you a few. ♥

Some books I enjoyed in 2023: Pride by Ibi Zoboi, The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys.

Some books I hope to read in 2024: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, Clanlands by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish, and maybe something by V.E. Schwab. Among others.

What about you? What was your favorite book of 2023? What are you hoping to read in 2024?

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[compassionatereminders]

i don't have any really important unpopular opinions. my unpopular opinion is that i don't like pride and prejudice. i respect that it was a progressive story of its time, especially since marriage for love was a relatively new concept but overall i find it rather long and boring. i like a retelling of it called pride by ibi zoboi though.

I haven't read it. I haven't read most of the classics. Like I'm just more interested in fiction which grapple with our current society in some capacity. I definitely don't think old books can't hold important knowledge or aren't worth reading. I would never judge any book that harshly. But I guess I agree in the sense that I have never personally cared to read it

#chat with kat #kat plays games

[riecaloca]

'24 reading goals?

LMAO you ask this three months ago MY BAD

Here are ten that I hope to read at some point during the rest of the year.

1). I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

2). Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour

3). Pride by Ibi Zoboi

4). We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

5). All the Bad Apples by Moira Fowley-Doyle

6). The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang

7). Stardust by Neil Gaiman

8). The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

9). Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko

10). In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado.

I could have easily chosen others, but these were the first that came to mind. The first 5 are ones are my physical-TBR, and the rest are just ones I would like to read.

#mona my love #asks #books

[forabeatofadrum]

Hello and El WooWoo to you. It is the last El WooWoo Wednesday of the year. That is wack. Thank you @martsonmars and @cutestkilla for the tags. I have written absolutely nothing, which was something I had sort of planned. Sure, I want to continue Ljubim te, and I also want to wrap up my Carry On textfic soon, but today is not the day!

So instead of writing, I’m reading! I have a lot of fic to catch up, from the Klaine 321 Bangs, to the Klaine Advent stories, and of course the new Klaine Secret Santa fics. Of course, the Snowbaz fam isn’t sitting still. So much Carry On Countdown and there is also the Secret Snowflake Exchange fics. Apart from these current challenges, I still have older fic to read. For the summer I made an amazing summer reading list and in the end I barely had time to go through it.

So many fics, so little time. That’s what I am trying to change for now.

Of course I devoured @chen-chen-chen-again-chen​‘s Jelly Babies. I am besotted with Swithin and Gregory, with Simon and Baz being elder queers. The moment where Gregory tells Simon that he hopes that Simon falls of a horse and gets a weird bruise on his arse has been stuck in my head ever since I first red it.

I also just finished Let It Snow - Or At Least Stop Sleeting by @1908jmd​ (who also wrote my Secret Santa gift!), which was adorable and the backgroup characters were extremely funny.

@yeonjunenby​ mentioned several times that they were working on a Snow for Christmas sequel and it cameo out. A Grimm Christmas at the Salisburys was great and Lady Ruth is an absolute badass.

I’ve been looking foward to Work Friends: A Holiday Romance ever since @crissmastrees-and-candyklaines​ shared that snippet of Kurt drawing Mr. Ryerson’s name. It’s so good. “Fuck me.” “Don’t threaten me with a good time.” ALY I AM ON THE FLOOR.

AND WHEN I LEAST EXPECTED IT.... @facewithoutheart​ comes back with a new chapter of On Love’s Light Wings. YEEHAW!!!!

Lastly, I just finished Babysitter for a Vampire by @martsonmars​. God. I love this. I specifically love Simon badmouthing Michael Bublé for Santa Buddy. I know that is not the point of the fic, but Simon is so fucking right. Just, UGH, Marta I love how you write Simon. He’s such a fucking mess. The Santa Buddy moment is only one of the many good gems.

And, okay, okay, I am also reading actual books again. I finished Pride by Ibi Zoboi, which is a modern version of Pride and Prejudice and it takes place in Brooklyn, which is being gentrified. I also finished Carrie Soto is Back and damnit, Taylor Jenkins Reid delivers again.

Since this got long, I’ll put the tags under the cut, together with a surprise!

Tagging @quizasvivamos @crissmastrees-and-candyklaines @coffeegleek @esperantoauthor @otherworldsivelivedin @caramelcoffeeaddict @sillyunicorn @bazzybelle @dragoneggos @raenestee @tectonicduck @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @thnxforknowingme @captain-aralias @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @takitalks @justgleekout @cerriddwenluna @tea-brigade @ivelovedhimthroughworse @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @ionlydrinkhotwater @1908jmd @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral @chen-chen-chen-again-chen​ @nausikaaa​/@wellbelesbian​ @artsyunderstudy​ @facewithoutheart​

#tagged in #wip wednesday

[richincolor]

My Summer Re-Reads

Since the pandemic began I've been doing a number of re-reads, allowing myself to get lost again in worlds that I treasured. Now that summer is here and I have some extra time, I plan to spend it re-reading a number of books. If you haven't read any of these books, now is the time, or if you have, why don't you pick them up again?

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo  

With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain—and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life—and all the rules everyone expects her to play by—once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi  

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.

When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.

In a timely update of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, critically acclaimed author Ibi Zoboi skillfully balances cultural identity, class, and gentrification against the heady magic of first love in her vibrant reimagining of this beloved classic.

Summer is also the time for re-reading series and I want to dive into these two again.  

Want (Want #1) by Cindy Pon  

Jason Zhou survives in a divided society where the elite use their wealth to buy longer lives. The rich wear special suits that protect them from the pollution and viruses that plague the city, while those without suffer illness and early deaths. Frustrated by his city’s corruption and still grieving the loss of his mother, who died as a result of it, Zhou is determined to change things, no matter the cost.

With the help of his friends, Zhou infiltrates the lives of the wealthy in hopes of destroying the international Jin Corporation from within. Jin Corp not only manufactures the special suits the rich rely on, but they may also be manufacturing the pollution that makes them necessary.

Yet the deeper Zhou delves into this new world of excess and wealth, the more muddled his plans become. And against his better judgment, Zhou finds himself falling for Daiyu, the daughter of Jin Corp’s CEO. Can Zhou save his city without compromising who he is or destroying his own heart?

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis 

Aster, the protector

Violet, the favorite

Tansy, the medic

Mallow, the fighter

Clementine, the catalyst

THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS

The country of Arketta calls them Good Luck Girls--they know their luck is anything but. Sold to a "welcome house" as children and branded with cursed markings. Trapped in a life they would never have chosen.

When Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by Arketta's most vicious and powerful forces, both human and inhuman, their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one Good Luck Girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.

It's going to take more than luck for them all to survive.

#Book list #Summer Reads #weneeddiversebooks

[peelingitwithpeels]

Tagged by: the ever-so-lovely @randomcanbian

Favorite color: To be completely honest it's in between lilac purple and Indigo Blue

Currently reading:

1.Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (like I'm trying to pace my reading because I use to read a whole book in one sitting)

2. Rereading Pride by Ibi Zoboi (just for inspiration and to revisit)

Last Song: Bad Habits by Steve Lacy (I'm just obsessed with that song)

Last Series: A League of Their Own (2022) (I'm in love with all of the characters I'm sorry I can't help it you give me a show with actual diversity, sapphics, lesbians, and butches I'm buckled up)

Last Film: I did a rewatch of To All The Boys I loved Before so it would be P.S. I Love You

Sweet/spicy/savory: Okay I actually love spicy food so I'm going to say spicy

Currently working on: Currently working on chapter 2 of my kirivan fic (I honestly have like one scene left to write), my dotin fic, and my henrivan fic

Tagging the following; (you don't have to do it no pressure) @sarka-stically @rafgarcia @sunkissedsweet @dorothycampbell @fruitybishop @henrytanakasheadphones @aweirdofangirl @transtlanticism

#tag game

[bex-pendragon]

Bex's Book Corner #19 - part 2

And here's part 2 of my June reading roundup - these are all the contemporary books I read last month:

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

Having read and loved this author’s well-known debut, Red, White and Royal Blue, I was looking forward to this. I’m happy to say it lives up to the hype.

Our heroine Chloe Green is a young queer girl at a private religious school. It’s not an easy place for her to be, but it’s the best school in the area. She’s managed to find a niche with her outsider friends. Now high school is almost over and Chloe is this close to being valedictorian.

The only thing that stands in her way is Shara Wheeler: the popular daughter of the school principal. Their relationship is that of academic rivals. Then, out of the blue, Shara kisses Chloe - and then she disappears.

Shara leaves behind a series of clues to the last 3 people she kissed - her boyfriend, the boy next door, and Chloe. They work together to find her… but naturally, they also find FEELINGS along the way!

I like to call this bisexual belligerence - bi-ligerance for short. It’s when a bi girl is overly competitive with another girl, only to realize it’s because she has feelings for her. At first I wasn’t sure about Shara’s motivation, but the more we got to know her in her absence, the more compelling the story became. 

Overall this was a very enjoyable read - McQuiston has done it again!

Popsugar Reading Challenge: A sapphic book

Similar Books: Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson, Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Content Warnings: religious intolerance and homophobia (challenged)

2. Debating Darcy by Sayantani DasGupta

I’m back at it again with the Austen retellings. 

This time around, the story of Pride and Prejudice is reimagined with Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Darcy - called Leela Bose and Firoze Darcy - are competitors on rival speech and debate teams. 

Leela’s ragtag public school team is pitted against teams from private schools, which I thought was an excellent way of re-contextualizing the class conflict from the original novel. The Bennet family is reimagined as Leela’s teammates: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are the teachers in charge. Mrs. Bennet still suffers from overactive nerves - another fun aside from the book. The Bennet sisters are now Leela’s teammates, as are the stand-ins for Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas. The Bingley siblings are on the rival team, along with the odious Mr. Wickham. The esteemed Lady Catherine makes an appearance as the elocution coach.

Another thing I loved about this retelling was the diversity: Leela is desi and Darcy is biracial. Wickham - Jishu in this version - is the same ethnicity as Leela. But Jishu is every bit as villainous here as he was in the original. He’s reimagined as a serial sexual harasser, which casts an unflattering spotlight on the problem of sexism and harassment in the real-life speech and debate world.

Overall this was a cute retelling that made excellent usage of the academic rivals to lovers trope.

Popsugar Reading Challenge: off-challenge

Similar Books: Pride by Ibi Zoboi, A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen, The Code For Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor.

Content Warnings: sexism, sexual harassment.

3. The Guncle by Steven Rowley

This was a very wholesome story about a gay uncle - aka guncle - who gets more than he bargained for when he has to look after his niece and nephew for the summer after their mother dies and their father goes to rehab. Always the fun uncle, Patrick has never had to look after the kids for an extended period of time. He’s a washed up actor who is semi-retired in Palm Springs after his successful show went off the air. He’s been going through the motions of life since his partner died. Gradually Patrick and the kids find their own ways to cope with their grief and figure out how to move forward.

I teared up several times reading this book. It was deeply satisfying and cathartic. You will laugh, you will cry. I know I did!

Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book that fulfills a prompt from a past Popsugar Reading Challenge - in this case, it’s “A book that should be made into a movie”. This would be such a good movie! 

Similar Books: Content Warnings: grief, death of a parent, death of a loved one, addiction

That wraps things up for June reads! I'll be back next month to talk about another Austen retelling: The Murder of Mr. Wickham! Am I reading Austen retellings to make up for whatever BS is going on with the new Persuasion movie? Maybe. I'm doing what I need to do to cope.

#Bex's book corner

[digitallit213]

pride & prejudice & zombies & the inner city & queer people

jane austen's pride & prejudice has been remixed so many times, it'd probably be impossible to name all of them in one cohesive post.

the original novel was published in 1813 and is one of the most-loved books among both scholars and the general population, and is a commentary on class, marriage, and feminism during austen's time. i'm sure i don't need to explain the plot to you (hopefully), but its importance in society certainly cannot be undermined.

the two most popular adaptations to date are the 1995 bbc miniseries starring colin firth as mr. darcy and the 2005 movie starring keira knightly and matthew mcfayden as elizabeth bennet and mr. darcy.

both adaptations are fairly faithful to the original book (except the lake scene <3), but it's hard to objectively say why viewers are so drawn to them, aside from the cast. there is, of course, the dry humor that, while sophisticated, is still understandable, the magical, og enemies to lovers relationship from the still-relatable characters, and the absolute timelessness of it.

it's really no wonder that p&p is prime material for remixes, with the most popular being pride & prejudice & zombies, which was first a book and then a movie. it's sort of exactly what it sounds like: a parody of p&p, same plot but there's also a zombie plague going around, and also some fighting and murder plots. then, there's pride by ibi zoboi, which is a modern day pride & prejudice set in a brooklyn neighborhood slowly being gentrified in part by the rich darcy family who zuri, the elizabeth bennet of the novel, wants nothing to do with. most recently is most ardently by gabe cole novoa, in which elizabeth bennet is a transgender man, with a few more suitors thrown into the mix.

why pride & prejudice then? and what do these remixes bring to the table? given the examples provided, i think it's just a relatable story, despite its age, that you can really put yourself into. class differences will always exist and will always affect relationships like in zoboi's novel. enemies to lovers will always be a popular trope that leaves room for so much drama, such as zombies, because sure. why not. and transgender people have always existed, so who can tell us that they don't deserve the same type of touching, all-encompassing love story that elizabeth and darcy got, even if it is a little unrealistic for the 1850s.

everyone wants a love story with a happy ending, and pride & prejudice is nothing if not one of the best ever written.

#pride & prejudice

[bookcub]

Petra! For the book challenge

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

send me your name for a book rec!