Mid-November Reviews (2024)
Greetings
Welcome to the Books That Burn Fortnightly Roundup! Usually releasing every two weeks (one week early for Patrons).
So. The election sucked. There’s a dwindling amount of time before the next administration and there’s a whole lot to do. The general advice is to pick a lane and do something, regularly, at a level that won’t burn you out but is more than nothing. I’ll have some links in Signal Boost.
As a trans person who reviews books by marginalized authors, my chosen lane is signal boosting queer people and helping connect existing resources to the people who need them. This means helping connect people to a lane that might work for them.
Signal Boost
Here are specific resources and how-to’s from people working in various arenas related to trans rights, healthcare, and anti-fascism.
Bystander Intervention
Digital Archiving:
The Trans Literature Preservation Project: A Practical Guide to Resisting Censorship
How to Build Your Trans Microlibrary
Trans News:
Activism and Healthcare/Political News:
It Could Happen Here (Podcast)
News and Events
I track upcoming book releases by authors we've previously covered on a shareable google calendar.
Notable NOVEMBER Releases:
All the Painted Stars by Emma Denny
Dead Girls Don't Dream by Nino Cipri
No Happy Endings by Armanis Ar-feinial and Kieran Ferrara
Whiteout by Susanne Schmidt
Foolish Hopes and Spilled Entrails by Devan Barlow
Astamite by Geetha Krishnan
Recent Reviews
THE COMPANION by E.E. Ottoman is Historical/Romance, with queer character(s), marketed as Adult. Madeline is trying to recover from the draining experience of the New York literary scene, but there are two people she wants to kiss who have their own tangled history with each other. Told in Third Person with Single POV.
THE HANDS OF THE EMPEROR by Victoria Goddard, book 1 of Lays of the Hearth-Fire is Fantasy, with queer character(s), marketed as Adult. Cliopher is the Secretary to the Emperor. Told in Third Person with Single POV.
Reviews forthcoming for Consecrated Ground by Virginia Black and A Necessary Chaos by Brent Lambert.
Rereads and Older Reviews
I’m still re-reading October Daye, and it’s still great. I love this series!
Current Reads
I’m almost done reading EMPRESS OF ALL SEASONS by Emiko Jean, it’s excellent.
Songs and Playlists
Sometimes I make book playlists, either chronological or character-vibes. You can find all of those here.
This fortnight’s featured playlist is: Reeve of Veils
In Case You Missed It
This time last year I read Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror, edited by Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams.
Pluggables and Podcast News
As for the podcast, hopefully you're enjoying our most recent episode. If you'd like to receive episodes early, as well as bonus content, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Patrons receive this newsletter one week early, as well as a list of upcoming podcast episodes and even more planned reviews.
Patrons at any level receive the booklist with our planned episodes for up to three months at a time.
Thanks for reading, the next roundup will be in 2-3 weeks!
-Robin
Co-host of Books That Burn