1. Daughters of the Great Star, by Diana Rivers (1992)
High fantasy novel with lesbian feminist themes, about a scattered community of young women born with magical powers for self-protection - but those same powers mark them as fugitives living under an edict for their death. They must come together for their own safety and begin to build a nation of their own. Prequel to the wonderful Journey to Zelindar. A bit more grim and trudging in parts simply due to the plot and the narrator's misery, but lovely writing and interesting story, and I cherish the series overall, so I enjoyed getting the back story.
2. The Hadra, by Diana Rivers (1995)
This picks up where Daughters of the Great Star leaves off, but takes place still before the events of Journey to Zelindar. We find ourselves with the same character, Tazzi, narrating. Now that her people have escaped the borders of the empire that put a bounty on all of their lives, they have a chance to build peaceful villages of their own - and, as Tazzi's dream directs her, even a great city of women. A happier volume dealing with the questions of a nascent nation.
3. Atlas of Oceans: An Ecological Survey of Underwater Life, by John Farndon (2011)
I love me a big photo book from the ocean section. This is definitely neither a textbook nor a photo book, but a photo-heavy survey that is accessible to a layperson with just a little will to concentrate - each two-page spread is one topical mini-chapter, so it's easy to read in spurts. A lot of discussion of environmental degradation - appropriately - though granted, some of how it mentions climate change make it sound 10 years old, which it is. I also found a couple odd typos (best one: accidentally gives the measurements of an Antarctic crustacean as 1000 times its actual size. My stars! I said to myself. Are they not going to comment on the fact that this is an actual monster?). But still good. I learned a lot, including from the repetition of general concepts across various specifics. And enjoyed the immersion, no pun intended, into this world that is mostly invisible to me.
4. Gifts from My Grandmother, by Meiling Jin (1985)
A very slim volume from a small feminist press, the work of a Chinese-Guyanese lesbian living in England. Simple, direct first-person poems dealing with themes of poverty, family, immigration, and white supremacy. A melancholy tone suffuses much of the book. Most of them were not like the poem I posted a few days ago. *If anyone would like my copy for the cost of media mail shipping ($2-3), let me know and I'll pass it along to you when things are slightly more normal.*
What about you - any books you've read recently that you would recommend?
hi! i have been look for gifts from my grandmother to no avail. does your offer still stand? i am trying to read more works from guyanese authors but they seem to mostly be out of print and difficult to find.
ReplyDeleteHello to my guest, I have passed this book on already but I wish you luck on your book hunt.
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