If fiction doesn’t consider food an important part of the worldbuilding, and the characterisation, it will ring hollow for me.
Feed me: Fiction and food

stillness is a lie, my dear
If fiction doesn’t consider food an important part of the worldbuilding, and the characterisation, it will ring hollow for me.
Julie Murphy’s Ramona Blue was criticized for its handling of bisexuality—I explore complicated tropes and narratives Murphy wrestled with in her latest.
S. Jae-Jones’ Wintersong is a layered, fascinating Labyrinth retelling that balances a deep aesthetic of sensuality against a naive, self-sacrificing main character.
Stephanie Garber’s Caraval almost works…but in the end let me down.
A Million Junes is a fantastical, richly imagined novel that delves into the bitterness that can last generations and destroy lives.
N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season is set in a strange, wonderful, magical world where plate tectonics shape the future of humanity and some people are slightly more than human.
Victoria Schwab’s This Savage Song is a bit draggy at times, but is a generally pretty fun story with thoughtful worldbuilding and a few nice surprises.
A Monster Calls is a beautiful, striking, tragic book that is suitable for all fans of good literature but perhaps most particularly for those who are grieving.
Debates over ‘age appropriate’ literature tend to talk down to children, underestimate young readers, and put value judgements on creative work.
Let 2017 be the year you give yourself permission to stop reading books when they bore, frustrate, or infuriate you.