Author: Rach @ Anxious Nachos

Educational publisher, writer and cat mama.

Book review: A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

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Title: A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication date: 16 October 2018

Genre: Contemporary| Young adult

Page extent: 310 pages

Goodreads blurb: It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.

Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.

But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down. 

What an absolutely wonderful book!! You can tell this book was so personal to the author because the emotion, the relevance, the relatability are all so strong, it’s just so stunning. 

Shirin can’t remember life before 9/11. That was when it changed. Before, she was just another slightly odd person on the street. Now she’s the enemy. She’s branded a terrorist. She is attacked verbally, physically, mentally, wherever she goes. So, she puts up a front: she is unbothered by the stares and accusations, unbothered by the treatment. She puts earbuds in and listens to music to help her ignore the world around her. 

But when her brother starts a breakdancing crew, and when Ocean enters her world, her well fought stance to stay unbothered changes. Because Ocean is nice, and kind, and says stupid idiot things but he’s so kind and loving and he makes her want to pretend the world isn’t awful. But it is. And whilst Ocean doesn’t want to accept it, Shirin doesn’t want him to be hurt by what will happen if suddenly she’s seen with the star basketball player and darling of the school, Ocean.

A Very Large Expanse of Sea is such an honest and brutal tale. From the constant microaggressions Shirin suffers through, to the utter hate which follows her and Ocean getting together, to the pain and despair she feels at having to hurt Ocean to help him, it’s such an entrancing and beautifully painful read. Told from Shirin’s POV results in so much insight and exploration of her feelings, we can see how much she struggles to stay unbothered and strong, to see how she wants to open up to Ocean, but doesn’t trust the world around her to let her be (and she’s right…) But we also see her change from the intimidating, unflinching person at the start of the book, to someone who has learned how to open up and how to trust, and accepts that maybe she doesn’t have to be so closed off anymore. It’s such a remarkable coming of age tale, and beautiful to see Shirin’s thoughts and emotions as she deals with both hate and love. 

Ocean is also such a lovely character. We seem him fight for Shirin without understanding of the consequences, too caught up in his privilege to see the truth, and so it comes as such a shock when the fallout happens. But he’s so determined to stand up to everyone around him because Shirin is worth it (she is SO fucking worth it, because she is awesome). 

I loved the element of breakdancing – it was interesting to see Shirin’s confidence grow across the novel, as she grew herself, and I loved the joy that was felt on the pages when she danced. 

The book will also truly open people’s eyes to the hate and constant aggression Muslims face, as well as the very real, very awful impact this has. I’d love to say this book will change people’s behaviour – and I really hope it does, because it bloody well should. But I can’t say I have that much faith in humanity. 

This book was such a beautiful romance, with a clearly personal touch from the author. It was so lovely to read and the last few lines were just absolutely brilliant 😭😭

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: Internment by Samira Ahmed

Rach @ Anxious Nachos1 Comment

Title: Internment by Samira Ahmed

Publisher: Atom

Publication date: 19 March 2019

Genre: Contemporary| Young adult | Political

Page extent: 386 pages

Goodreads blurb: Rebellions are built on hope.

Set in a horrifying near-future United States, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens.

With the help of newly made friends also trapped within the internment camp, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla begins a journey to fight for freedom, leading a revolution against the internment camp’s Director and his guards.

Heart-racing and emotional, Internment challenges readers to fight complicit silence that exists in our society today.

Internment is a tense, extremely difficult read. I won’t sugar coat that. It’s anxiety inducing and terrifying in how close we seem to a moment like it. And that’s why this book is so necessary. 

Internment is set a few years after the US election. First, Muslim immigration was stopped; and then the Muslim registry appeared; book burnings; Exclusion Laws; and now Muslims have been declared a threat to America. Layla and her family are rounded up in the night and taken to an internment camp. They have done nothing wrong. 

This is the premise of Internment. I was immediately drawn into the world of this book because it does feel so much like the reality we currently live in. The tension, the fear, the absolute shock and horror at what’s happening makes for an extremely gripping read. Told from the point of view of Layla, we are overwhelmed with the horror and fear she feels as she’s taken from her home. Layla is such a strong character, one who resists and fights back even in the most dire of circumstances. A lot of YA female characters suffer from the ‘stubborn girl who refuses to listen’ syndrome but though stubborn, I really didn’t think that of Layla at all. I loved how close we felt to Layla, how we saw her thought process and emotions so deeply. I think this closeness to the character was really able to help rid some of that potential syndrome – we see her struggle but yet her resistance feels so right, her confusion at why no one else is fighting so understandable, that we can really see her motivation and why she acts as she does. We really get a sense of her panic and terror. It’s also so amazing to see her fight and resist and stand up, even when it means others in the internment camp stand against her. She is such a powerful character and to see her growth from scared teen with so much snark, to someone who can stare The Director in the face with such hope and determination is amazing, I absolutely love her! 

There is enough darkness on page to ensure the horror of the internment camps (disappearances, beatings) without needing graphic violence to show that. Whilst I’ve seen some reviewers argue this makes the camp not seem real (given the focus on the history of Nazi concentration camps and Japanese American internment camps), I actually disagree. I think the mystery and unknown creates a more tense and suspenseful atmosphere. We all know what’s going on with the disappearances. I do think there could possibly have been more discussion about the similarities of the internment camp to WW2 events, particularly the Holocaust given Layla’s boyfriend identifies as Jewish. It would potentially have helped create more of the sense of horror that some readers were looking for.  

I do think perhaps some of the secondary characters weren’t as strong as Layla. David felt a little less fleshed out and I wasn’t sold on the romance between them. I also thought Jake at times was a little less believable. He kept hiding and talking to Layla in what seems like super obvious places that I really don’t think he could’ve gotten away with so often… But that said, I did like both Ayesha and Soheil. And I really loved Jake’s arc, particularly the conclusion of his arc was excellent!

All in all, I thought this book was an extremely powerful piece of storytelling. I think a lot of people won’t like this book – probably because they think it’s “too political” or “not believable enough”. But I think it really is 15 minutes into the future – as Samira says in her author note, fascism is here. It came when people agreed holding a gun was more important than the lives of hundreds of children. When children became animals who could be kept in cages. When Nazis march on the street of every Western nation in the world. The events leading to this book are happening now. And I think this book is so so important to get into the hands of both teens and adults to show them the power of resistance, as well as the fear that so many people suffer through every day for their faith.

Rebellions are built on hope. 

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R Pan

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Title: The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R Pan

Publisher: Orion Children’s Books

Publication date: 22 March 2018

Genre: Magical realism | Young Adult | Contemporary

Page extent: 480 pages

Goodreads blurb: When Leigh’s mother dies by suicide she leaves only a scribbled note – I want you to remember.

Leigh doesn’t understand its meaning and wishes she could turn to her best friend, Axel – if only she hadn’t kissed him and changed everything between them.

Guided by a mysterious red bird, Leigh travels to Taiwan to meet her grandparents for the first time. There, Leigh retreats into art and memories, where colours collide, the rules of reality are broken and the ghosts of the past refuse to rest … 

But Leigh is determined to unlock her family’s secrets. 

Content warnings: suicide, suicidal ideation, depression, hallucinations, insomina

Wow. Sometimes you read a book so unique, so different it’s extremely different to write about. The Astonishing Colour of After was utterly unlike anything I’ve ever read – it was an artistic masterpiece, of colour, of music, of emotion.

Leigh’s mother has just committed suicide, leaving a note saying ‘I want you to remember’. When Leigh’s mother appears to her as a bright red bird, she is drawn to visit Taiwan, connect with the grandparents she has never met and to try find the bird. Told through a series of memories following her family, flashbacks to her friendship with best friend Axel, and present time following her grandparents and mysterious woman Feng, Leigh discovers her family and learns how to deal with grief.

This book was such a beautiful tale, and I really don’t think I will be able to express how unique it is in a review. But I shall try! The prose is really the absolute star. Told using art and colour to express emotion, the book reads wonderfully mysterious and dreamlike. It is absolutely stunning, and I adored the how the language of colour was used to associate both people, memories as well as the crumbling mental state of Leigh as she tried to deal with her grief. The effects of insomnia told through colours – cracks of deepest black slowly encroaching across Leigh’s sight – was fantastic. 

It’s emotionally hard-hitting, particularly the later half of the book and the scenes between Leigh and her father, who also is struggling with feelings of guilt and grief in the wake of his wife’s suicide. Their relationship is fraught with the pain of the years her father spent absent, of his push to give up the art Leigh uses to escape, and the family secrecy which is only coming to light after the death of her mother. The resolution and growth of the relationship between Leigh and her father was just beautiful to see and was so emotive. 

The Astonishing Colour of After is astonishing in its complexity and its beauty. With such an honest look at the impact of mental illness, of the grief and guilt that comes after, and with such a stunning use of language, this book was a brilliantly unique read.

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: How to be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters

Rach @ Anxious Nachos2 Comments

Title: How to be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters

Publisher: Duet

Publication date: 10 September 2019

Genre: Contemporary| Young Adult

Page extent: 340 pages

Goodreads blurb: Everyone on campus knows Remy Cameron. He’s the out-and-gay, super-likable guy that people admire for his confidence. The only person who may not know Remy that well is Remy himself. So when he is assigned to write an essay describing himself, he goes on a journey to reconcile the labels that people have attached to him, and get to know the real Remy Cameron.

Content warnings from the eARC: discussions of racism, homophobia, past minor characters’ death, and alcoholism, as well as depictions of homophobic bullying, and a scene involving brief sexual harassment/racial fetishism 

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO HOW TO BE REMY CAMERON!!!!!

How to be Remy Cameron gave me many many feelings when I was approved for an eARC on NetGalley, and then it gave me many many feelings when I read it. 

I was a new blogger, my stats aren’t great, and I had no hope at all I would ever be accepted. And then I was. Cue feelings. The ohmygod how is this happening to me is life actually good feelings.

How to be Remy Cameron is a heartwarming and uninhibited look at what it means to be you, at the pressure of labels, at becoming who you want to be in the world. 

Told from the eyes of Remy, an adopted, black, gay teen, the book follows him as he is given an AP Literature assignment to write an essay about who he is. Remy finds himself under so much pressure to know who he is outside of his labels of ‘adopted’ or ‘black’ or ‘gay’ and wants to be known as someone other than that token kid. But he doesn’t know who he is and can’t get past the pressure he feels to be these labels. 

How to be Remy Cameron is a wonderful look at family and friends and love. Throughout the book, Remy finds himself wondering about his family, about where he came from, how he fits into his adopted family; he questions his friends who seem so put together compared to him; and he questions his feelings as he begins to fall for Ian, the new kid at school. 

The portrayal of both family and friendship in this book is just phenomenal. It really breaks so many stereotypes about what and who makes a family. Remy is such a brilliant older brother, who is so protective and loving with his sister Willow. His parents are supportive and have never made him feel lesser for being adopted (yes! A YA book with an amazing parent relationship where the teen isn’t constantly breaking rules and trying to get away from them!)

The romance is just as great – Remy has recently been in a bad break-up, and swears off men. Of course, immediately enter attractive, glasses-wearing Ian who drinks matcha coffee and draws brilliant art. The romance doesn’t feel rushed or hurried and plays out beautifully. 

I also really enjoyed all the pop culture references. I go back and forth on whether I like this in books, but it didn’t feel overused here, and it often made me snort with laughter, so Winters nailed the pop culture referencing! 

There are definitely moments in this book which tug at your heart, but it’s not a sad book. It’s happy and uplifting and a beautifully diverse YA which showcases the variety of labels and stereotypes and really makes you wonder about who you are.

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

P.S. I’d like Remy’s wardrobe please and thank you. 

Top 5 Tuesday: 2019 Covers

Rach @ Anxious Nachos6 Comments

Top 5 Tuesday is created and run by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm. You can join the fun by checking out the topics for the month here.

I think this week’s topic might be my favourite topic since I joined in with this weekly feature! Thank you Shanah for giving me the opportunity to scroll though Goodreads and look at all the pretty covers and then absolutely panic because I had so many tabs open and I couldn’t decide on five! So this week I’m giving you my EIGHT favourite covers of 2019!

Crier’s War by Nina Varela

This is one of my most anticipated releases of the 2019. I adore this cover – it’s so intricate, everytime you look you see something different. It also reflects different colours in the light which is just so beautiful!

The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Need I explain why I find this so beautiful? Oh it’s just so pretty – the colours, the snake, the mushrooms, the hands, it is just stunning. I also here there are some INCREDIBLE

Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian

This is one of those covers which is absolutely stunning in person – careful spot gloss and embossing make this book an absolute joy to hold! I love the yellow and pink, it’s so warm against the intricate grey cityscape.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

This cover just screams necromancy and will go down as one of THE most iconic book cosplays (I predict). The mask, the power in the stance, the daggers, the gauntlet GAH this cover is just so sexy.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

This cover is just so beautiful – the softness interposed with the hard, haunting body horror, is so impactful! I also love the colour of this book, it’s so soft and mysterious.

Descendant of the Crane – Joan He

Another gorgeous fantasy cover – I just adore this. I find it very peaceful and calming. The colours are so relaxing, the font is lovely and the crane and the way the beak comes over the title, it’s stunning!!

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

This is one of the few books that sit face out on my shelf currently, and it’s because I find it so so beautiful. It’s beautiful in it’s simplicity. The way Ben leans against Nathan as if pulling strength is just gorgeous.

Slay by Brittney Morris

How powerful is the cover?! The way the model stares directly at you, her glasses, the strength in her gaze! I love the graphic effect on the right side, it really gives the gamer vibe, and the bright pink is awesome!

And that’s my choices this week – sorry I couldn’t narrow it further….And I won’t lie, you could ask me again next week and I’d have another 8 stunning covers I adore. 2019 has been so awesome for gorgeous covers and I can’t wait to see what 2020 brings! Link me your Top 5 covers post in the comments below so I can check out some more lovely covers ❤️

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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Title: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Publication date: 20 September 2011

Genre: Mythology | Adult

Page extent: 352 pages

Goodreads blurb: Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.

Where do I even start with a book like this? Sometimes I think knowing the pain that you’ll feel makes a book even more devastating, as if the constandt dread at the events you know are coming just makes everything hurt so much more. The Song of Achilles is like that. I first read it a few years ago, but my reread this month really just made everything so much more heartbreaking. Rereads really help you catch so much more foreshadowing and I really need to make the effort to reread more often, because this was just stunning.

The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the Greek myth of Achilles and Patroclus, the kidnapping of Helen, and the Trojan war. Following Patroclus from a young age as he accidentally kills a noble son and is exiled, we watch him meet Achilles and see them unepexctedly grow close. We read as Patroclus and Achilles go to the ends of the earth in their love for each other and see the pain and heartbreak as the events at Troy occur.

I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell, I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.

GAAAAH this book is just so full of emotion it’s so difficult to write a review for. The love between Patroclus and Achilles is just so obvious and shines throughout the book. They are both so willing to forgive each other for every wrong, willing to stay by each other no matter how much it hurts. Much like me being so willing to reread this book no matter the pain it causes. Imagine someone repeatedly punching through your chest until there is a a massive gaping hole inside you THAT IS READING THIS BOOK.

I just want to hug and scream at these two boys. It’s such a beautiful retelling, full of humanity and godhood and what happens when someone is pulled in both directions. We see Achilles struggle with the weight of the sacrifice he must make for godhood and see him choose his humanity, choose his love for Patroclus, this the very thing that makes him so human in the eyes of Thetis, his goddess mother. And then we can only watch on in knowing and uncomprehending eyes as this becomes the very thing which tears him apart.

“And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.” 

Miller effortlessly tells us of famous Greek heroes and gods and weaves the tapestry of Ancient Greek mythology with such confidence – it’s such a detailed story with so many different characters. The worldbuilding and detail required to portray all these characters, some many of us will have heard of so often, is brilliantly done – it really is effortless and we learn so much about all of the gods and heroes without feeling overwhelmed.

Rereading was rough. It is such an emotional and utterly devastating story and I found it even more so on this reread. The Song of Achillies is simply Patroclus and Achilles, two halves of one soul, and a book which tore me apart.

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Books as Glee songs, part 2

Rach @ Anxious Nachos1 Comment
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So it’s back!!! I had so much fun writing my first Books as Glee songs post that I decided to make it into a relatively regular feature for a while – so every few months expect to see some more books as Glee songs because I love writing these. And it gives me a totally acceptable reason to listen to Glee music all the time. So here’s another five books as Glee songs!

Dream On = The City of Brass by S.A Chakraborty

Okay, did I pick this song for The City of Brass purely because of the line ‘I know, nobody knows where it comes and where it goes; I know it’s everyobody sin, you got to lose to know how to win’ which really just SINGS Dara talking to me? Yes. But also, this song is just INCREDIBLE. I love NPH and this song is just full drama and epic riffs and The City of Brass is also full of amazing drama and twists, and EPICNESS. Plus I think Dream On would make the awesome theme song to a fantasy TV show…such as The City of Brass.

Start Me Up/Living on a Prayer = The Exact Opposite of Always by Laura Steven

Perhaps a tenuous connection, but I adore this song in Glee because they go full rock-goth, flip their hair and totally kick ass at this song, and that really reminds me of Izzy, the main character of The Exact Opposite of Always. She is totally kick ass, feminist icon of our times, and she would join in this song and rock the fuck out so damn well.

Keep Holding On = I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

Okay so in Glee, this song is played when everybody finds out Quinn is pregnant and her whole world is crashing down around her and the Glee club sings this song to try give her strength and I always get really emotional at it. I really felt this matched with I Wish You All the Best because it is also such an emotional book, and Ben is going through such an awful time and really needs some people to give them strength and help them keep holding on. 😭😭😭

Landslide = The Afterward by E.K Johnston

As I was scrolling through YouTube, the second I saw this song I immediately knew it was The Afterward. Both song and book are so quietly wonderful, with such a poetic story, and such a beautiful sapphic relationship at the heart of them. In Glee, this is the first moment Santana and Brittany really admit their feelings, and the quiet love and strength they have for each other just fit so perfectly with Kalanthe and Olsa.

Fighter = If We Were Villains M.L Rio

So Fighter is all about a distrustful, dark and broken relationship between Blaine and his brother. It really has the same gritty vibe as If We Were Villains, particularly as the relationship between James and Oliver is also so dark and broken. Oliver’s discovery about James, the slow descent to darkness, but still protecting and wanting James, it just so fits with this gritty song!

I hope you liked this post….The next one will be themed and feature the one and only Jesse St James and all his amazing song entrances. I ❤ him.

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Top 5 Tuesday: Series I Need to Finish

Rach @ Anxious Nachos1 Comment

Hello my Top 5 Tuesday friends, I hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far! This week’s topic was actually way more of a struggle than I thought – I tend to binge series when I start reading them, so I actually have very few:
a) Complete series I have started and not finished
b) Incomplete series that have a sequel available for me to read but I haven’t.

So several on my list this week are books where I’ve read the first one, but the sequel has not yet been released so I haven’t been able to continue! And then I did also note down a few popular series which I have somehow not managed to read at all. Which technically means I do still need to finish them too…

The Daevabad Trilogy – S.A Chakraborty

I shall start with a series I can actually continue – and I do have the sequel sitting on my shelf waiting for a day I am recovered enough from the first to continue – The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A Chakraborty. I read The City of Brass earlier this year and adored it – but it’s such an emotionally hard-hitting book that I have yet to recover enough to read The Kingdom of Copper. But I am honestly so excited to continue this series – there is so much political machinations, drama, heart-stopping-will-totally-kill-you scenes and I am both terrified and thrilled to continue this series! The third book isn’t out until 2020 so I still have time until I’ll be able to finish the whole trilogy.

The Poppy War trilogy – R.F Kuang

This is the last of my ‘available to continue but haven’t yet’ series. The Dragon Republic was released very recently, and it took so long for my pre-order to make it to Australia it has only just arrived last week. But it’s here now! And I am so excited to go back to the world of Rin and Kitay and Nezha. The worldbuilding is just incredible, R.F Kuang writes just ridiculously awesome battle scenes (fight scenes are my most dreaded part of writing and it causes me great struggle that all my WIP ideas need them). Inspired by real events, this series is so gritty, emotive, and really just hits you in the chest when you read it.

Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy – Natasha Ngan

Girls of Paper and Fire was such a brilliant debut with such a wonderful host of characters – and a f/f relationship at it’s core, which I love love loved seeing! I can’t wait until the second book is released in Novemeber and will definitely be pre-ordering. I was hooked from the very first page, the writing was just so beautiful. I found the caste system so interesting, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Feverwake duology – Victoria Lee

Absolutely no surprises to see this here! The Fever King is my favourite book (both of the year, and ever!) and I have been shaking with excitement for the sequel and finale to this duology since I first read TFK. Set in a dystopian future US, Noam survives a virus which wipes out most of the population and gives him magic. Taken in by Calix Leher, one of the most powerful men in the new country of Carolinia, Noam is trained for the army. There he meets Dara (GAH) and together the two must pick their side and try to overthrow a corrupt government. The Fever King was just exquisite in every way and I adore it so so much, and The Electric Heir is my most anticipated release of 2020 (MARCH EVERYONE PREPARE THYSELVES!).

Series I haven’t started

For my fifth ‘book’, I thought I’d talk about some of the super popular series that for some reason I’ve just never got around to reading.

A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J Maas

So I actually have the first in this series on my bookshelf – I’ll admit, I bought it this year in the wake of the anniversary of dick soap gate because I was both intrigued and utterley shocked.

The Nevernight Chronicle – Jay Kristoff

Yep never read Jay Kristoff! I really don’t have any excuses. And I believe there is a really awesome cat (kind of) in the series, which totally sounds like my cup of tea…

The Folk of the Air – Holly Black

Another major name I haven’t ever read… I do also have The Cruel Prince on my shelf so I will get around to it someday, there’s just far too many books to read!

I hope you enjoyed my list this week – let me know if you’ve also not finished any of these series!

Paws out
Rach + Draco

August + NEWTS readathon wrap up

Rach @ Anxious Nachos2 Comments

Hello all!

I feel like I haven’t done a wrap-up in so long, but I’ve actually only missed July – unfortunately mental health took an awful dip at the end of July and I didn’t feel up to writing a massive wrap up post, but back now for my August wrap up which includes the NEWTS readathon I participated in! Whilst I didn’t quite manage to qualify for my Librarian career, after a very rough start to the month with my health, my reading and blogging did pick up again and I’ve had some awesome posts and news this month!

August highs and lows

  • I had my first author interview with the wonderful Gabhi Martins about the new anthology she edited Keep Faith. Keep Faith is a very personal and touching look at how faith and queerness intersect and I’m so happy I got the chance to talk to Gabhi about it – her enthusiasm and excitement is absolutely incredible.
  • I also ran my first giveaway – although I can’t say I feel it went particularly well. I wonder if perhaps the way to enter wasn’t clear enough or was too difficult to enter? The giveaway was for Keep Faith which I was so excited for, and it’s such a great project that I do feel I really let Gabhi and the team of wonderful authors down. The good news is the giveaway is still running until Wednesday – so if you’d like to enter, please comment on this post! I would also be interested in hearing any tips you might have on how to run successful giveaways!
  • In the last week of August, I also got the wonderful news that I will be participating in my first blog tour! This is so exciting, it’s for The Never Tilting World, and the tour is run by Caffeine Book Tours. I can’t wait to read this book – watch out for this tour in October!
  • I failed my Librarian studies in the NEWTs readathon. I’m so upset with myself. Unfortunately with such a rough start to the month, I lost a fair bit of time I needed to get through all my reads.
  • I went to YAFanFest, an event run by Australian independent publisher Allen and Unwin. This was my first bookish event here in Australia and it was so fun – authors Garth Nix, Amie Kaufman, Wai Chim, Ellie Marney and Astrid Scholte were all there to talk about their writing processes. I also picked up quite a few great books there which I can’t wait to read!

The NEWTS

WHAT A SHAME. I put so much effort into creating my TBR and then didn’t manage to qualify as a Librarian!

I did manage to get an O in the two exams I studied for which were Ancient Runes and History of Magic, but then I got too caught up in some library books and didn’t manage to read anything for the last exam I needed, Defence Against the Dark Arts. But I had good fun, and I guess that’s what matters in the end…..right…..?!

Book haul

The Dragon Republic – R.F Kuang

A Girl Called Shameless – Laura Steven

Wilder Girls – Rory Power

Spin the Dawn – Elizabeth Lim

A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J Maas (YAFanFest haul)

The Suprising Power of a Good Dumpling – Wai Chim (YAFanFest haul)

Sabriel – Garth Nix (YAFanFest haul)

When the Ground is Hard – Malla Nuun (YAFanFest haul)

Impostors – Scott Westerfeld (YAFanFest giftbag freebie)

Keep Faith – edited by Gabhi Martins (eARC)

The Astonishing Colour of After – Emily XR Pan (Library)

Internment – Samira Ahmed (Library)

When Michael Met Mina – Randa Abdel-Fattah (Library)

A Very Large Expanse of Sea – Tahereh Mafi (Library)

Books I read

The Afterward – E.K Johnston (full review here!)

We Contain Multitudes – Sarah Henstra (full review here!)

How to be Remy Cameron – Julian Winters

The Kingdom – Jess Rothenberg (full review here!)

Descendant of the Crane – Joan He (full review here!)

The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller

Keep Faith – Gabhi Martins

The Astonishing Colour of After – Emily XR Pan

And that’s it for the month of August! In September, I have to look forward to: MY BIRTHDAY! Yes I turn the grand old age of 26 (hoooooo boy it’s rough going into ‘late twenties’) but I’ll likely get quite a few books from various friends and family which is exciting! I also am going on a trip to Noosa to celebrate, and it will be SO AMAZING to have a few days off work to lie on a beach. I can’t wait to relax – and it also means 4 days of non-stop reading which will be so fun.

I hope you all had a great August – and that you were more sucessful than me if you participated in the NEWTs readathon!

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: Keep Faith (+ GIVEAWAY!)

Rach @ Anxious NachosLeave a comment

Title: Keep Faith – Adiba Jaigirdar, Bogi Takács, C.T. Callahan, Elly Ha, Gabriela Martins, Julia Rios, Kate Brauning, Kess Costales, Mary Fan, Mayara Barros, Megan Manzano, Shenwei Chang, Sofia Soter, and Vanshika Prusty

Publication date: 1 September 2019

Genre: Various!

Page extent: 338 pages

Goodreads blurb: Keep faith, in the broad sense of the word. It doesn’t have to be a religion, unless you want it to be. It doesn’t have to speak about the universe, unless you want it to. It doesn’t have to be about anyone but yourself. Keep faith, in other planets and other houses; be it in the face of danger, grief, or while you spread your arms and laugh. Keep faith the same way you keep hope, bright and shiny, ever present. Keep faith in all your queer, beautiful self. Because you deserve it.

This is an anthology of 14 short stories, by 14 queer authors, where faith and queerness intersect. Incidental, purposeful, we-exist-and-that’s-why queerness. And faith meaning whatever you want it to mean.

I already raved about this anthology earlier in the week when I got to interview the wonderful editor and contributer Gabhi Martins. But today I’m back with a full review of Keep Faith, a short story anthology dealing with the intersection of faith and queerness. I am also super excited to be running a giveaway – to win a copy of Keep Faith, check in at the end of the post for how to enter!

I was already tearing up at Gabhi’s editor’s note, so I think we all know this one is going to be emotional! But what it also is, is an incredible diverse and nuanced discussion on spirtuality. There is such a range of genres and styles, there is a story in here for everyone. So I thought I’d showcase the brilliance of each story with a mini review of each – enjoy!

And I Entreated – Bogi Takács

I don’t think I quite realised how empty science fiction is of faith and religion until reading this short story and seeing it so represented. This is a wholly Jewish tale set on a space station, with one of the coolest concepts I’ve seen in a while: our MC has been turned into a houseplant. I just love that idea!! The mother, now houseplant, has to witness the struggles of their trans kid, clueless husband and non-binary assistant work together in their absence. With nuanced discussion of what it means to be non-binary and how that fits into Judaism, this story was an excellent start to this anthology, both humourous and touching in it’s telling. 

Bigger Than Us – Megan Manzano 

What a sweet relationship!! Jude has just come into her powers, and can now perform magic. Her powers make her a servant to the Goddess Valencia and mean she must leave everything she’s known behind to serve the goddess. But Jude doesn’t want to leave Mari, the girl she loves. This is such a sweet romance about love, sacrifice, and having faith that the one you love will always come back. 

Droplets of Starlight – Vanshika Prusty

A god who hates their worshippers’ happiness is no god of ours.

Oh gosh how poetic and incredibly beautiful is the prose in this story! It felt almost like a dream story for how magical and intense the slow development of Zoya and Payal’s relationship was. And what a fabulous discussion of religion and gods and love – wonderful to see this so clearly on the page. 

Godzilla – Kate Brauning 

I think people suffer and stagnate when they try to meet other people’s ideals. You’re a person, not an ideal, and if you think there’s purpose and joy for you in following something other people won’t like, then screw them. You are the one who has to live your life.

Yes yes yes yessssssss a story with supportive friendships, kick ass feminists who don’t want to perform their queerness so you can pretend you’re accepting (Y.E.S), about not being enough for anyone, about being you, unashamedly and unapologetically. I really wish I could do what this story says and stop caring what people thought.

Golden Hue – Mayara Barros 

Such a different look at faith to the other stories so far! Instead of the religious focus, this was more a look at spirituality, at what happens after death, about how even after death the spirits of our loved ones are there supporting us. With cool magic, including healing magic which I always loooooove, and super fierce beasts! 

How Not to Die (Again) – Gabriela Martins

Oooooh this is one of my favs!! It was so much fun and there was a little mystery as Margô the MC keeps dying and waking up a day later, and figuring out why it all seems to revolve around Josie. Super cute development of relationship – both MCs were really well characterised and I had such a sense of who they were even though it’s only a short story which always impresses me! Loved the theme of having faith in yourself as well.

Life is a Story of Change – Elly Ha

Ohhhh how I adore books with mental health rep yes please and thank you! Elly Ha’s story feels so relatable, it felt very real and honest in how she discussed falling in love and how mental illness, asexuality and aromance adds to this. Some great thoughts on being true to yourself alone and using the definitions which you and you alone feel comfortable with, not forcing yourself into a box just so others understand you. 

Nothing Left Standing – C.T Callahan

Well this was emotional! From the very first word to the very last, this story felt oh so impactful and emotional. The despair of the MC, Aaron, was so powerful. This story very much focused on the emotional pain of the MC as opposed to action/plot and I LOVED it for it!! One of my favourites. ♥️♥️

On the Other Side – Shenwei Chang 

Another totally different look at faith and queerness, this time all combined with the pressure and grief of not getting to tell a parent who you are, which felt very real and relatable. So interesting to see an insight into the Buddhist faith as well. Throughout this story, you really got a sense of peace, and hope, which was lovely.

Read the Room – Sofia Soter

Oh my gosh, this was great! I loved the poly relationship, loved the nervous flirty behaviour of all the characters, they were all so adorable trying to hide their feelings but totally failing. I also loved the background and concept of telling fortunes with cards to guide the story as well! 

Ten Steps to Becoming a Successful Vlogger – Julia Rios

You matter.

Guh these stories about having faith in yourself really do pack a hard punch. Potentially (read: extremely and 100%) because it’s something I struggle with so much. This was such an interesting and different style to all the others, told as if a vlogger was saying this online. It resulted in a very unique voice and I totally could imagine this as a vlog as they were so enthusiastic and genuine in the story.

The Language of Magic – Adiba Jaigirdar

This story just made me even more excited to read Adiba’s debut novel next year! This was a mysterious and magical fantasy, about having faith in magic when it calls to you, about believing the unbelievable, all to be with the one you love before it’s too late. 

The Messenger – Mary Fan

😭😭This was beautiful! I adored the concept – humans as machines yes please! The ending is just perfect. Stunning story about space travel, immortality, humanity, and finding joy in places you don’t expect. 

Whatever She Wants – Kess Costales 

I shouldn’t notice these things, but I do, and if I am perfect as I am, then I shouldn’t be ashamed. But I am ashamed and terrified and I keep looking anyway.

Ahhh what a story to end on!! This was such a lovely contemporary romance. It felt so like things I’ve felt, all that worry and guilt about how you feel, about what it means to be made in God’s image. And it was such a lovely, heartwarming note to end on! 

Keep Faith is an anthology with such a diversity in genre, representation and voice. There are stories that had me close to tears and ones that had me laughing. There are romances and heartbreaks. Fantasy and sci fi. And through all of them are such interesting, different but very honest thoughts on what it means to have faith and be queer. 

GIVEAWAY!! YAY

I am so lucky to also give you the chance to win a copy of Keep Faith! This is my very first giveaway and it’s such an awesome book to do this with! To enter the giveaway, comment on this post, or on my Twitter annoucement, letting me know what faith means to you!

You can purchase Keep Faith from gumroads here!

Paws out,
Rach + Draco