A nice little resource. Sadly it was only published once, so it's way out of date and ends with a few books published in 1993.

Divided by theme, there are blurbs from a panel of contributors (all female) about 500 books: everything from Autobiography/memoir to oral histories, novels and nonfiction.

There are cross-referenced indices and lists at the beginning of every theme. Included are lists of books by women of color living in the US and a "list of some books about lesbian and gay people." Clearly time has not been kind to this particular listing, and that's the issue. The areas covered are way too broad, the 1990s overrepresented and marginalized people are just barely creeping into consciousness in 1993-94.

I truly wish someone would update this particular reference, but until then it's handy for finding books and authors I may otherwise have missed.

Have you guys ever watched a TED Talk? Well, apparently some of those Ted Talks are turned into published works so that the ideas can be delved into a little deeper. (To see more you can visit their website here. (They haven't asked me to review today's book by the way.)) I hadn't watched David Rothkopf's talk but The Great Questions of Tomorrow was featured in my regular 'what's new at Simon & Schuster' email and it seemed to be calling my name. Rothkopf is exploring a very wide and diverse range of topics with a central theme of  'what does this mean for the future?' running through them all. I guess it should come as no surprise that this book thoroughly freaked me out while at the same time fascinating me. Have you thought about the future of drone warfare and whether or not it might constitute the necessity for intelligent machines to have rights as members of society? WELL, NOW YOU ARE. He jumped from frightening scenarios like that to ones that hadn't even occurred to me such as complete mobile banking which would see the demise of physical currency and brick and mortar banks. O_O I especially enjoyed his take on government and how we should be trying to elect leaders who not only understand technology but can look towards the future to prepare accordingly. His example of how this was not done was that just because there was one shoe bomber it shouldn't mean we have to remove our shoes at airports into perpetuity. All in all, it was a fascinating read that I zipped right through. It's great for the people in your life (or yourself!) that enjoy philosophical discussions about the future and how actions of today and yesterday have and should continue to have direct bearing on how we handle events in the future. 10/10

What I'm Currently Reading: Mine Own Execution by Nigel Balchin

Note: The only short story I'm actually reviewing here is a specific one called "The Prince and the Goose Girl," by Elinor Mordaunt. The rating and review is for that story alone; I have no interest (yet) in the other stories in this collection.
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The phrase "feminist fairy tale" gets thrown around a lot, but I declare that this story is the most successful at flipping gender stereotypes than any other tale in existence that I know of. I first read it in 4th grade and remember thinking that this story might as well have been written in a historical vacuum, for all that I've never read or heard of any story quite like it. Particularly considering that Elinor Mordaunt is not a modern author, I still have trouble conceiving how she must have come up with it.

Imagine the "Taming of the Shrew" trope, but gender-flipped.

The story starts out with a hilariously overblown description of a great scary prince--so overblown, in fact, that you actually start to take it seriously.

Once there was a great prince who was so great a fighter that no one dared to deny him anything that he asked. [...] Everything the people had was his at the asking, they feared him so, and would all tremble and shake when he came thundering past on his war horse, whose hoofs struck great pieces of their fields from the earth as he passed, and whose breath was fire. And they feared his sword, which was so sharp that it wounded the wind as it cut through it, and his battle-ax that could cut the world in half--or so they said--and his frown that was like a cloud, and his voice that was like thunder--or so they said.

*giggle*

Just in case that's too subtle for you, the passage follows with:

Only Erith, the goose girl, feared him not at all.

The one person unafraid of him is a scrawny little girl! Let's see how that goes.

"He is only a man," she would say. [...] "He eats and sleeps like other men; if you wounded him, he woudl bleed. Someday he will love a woman and be her slave for a while just as any other man is. I wouldn't give that for a great bully!" she added, and snapped her little fingers.

Should we take Erith seriously though? Well, it gets pretty clear that this poke at his overinflated ego is something the prince just cannot ignore, though he tries to cover it up with lots of manly bluster.

The prince laughed a great, big, bellowing laugh, but the red swayed up into his face angrily all the same.

"Where does this chit live?" he demanded.

So what does he try to do? Or perhaps I should ask, what does an all-powerful MANLY MAN try to do in the face of an annoying little girl's perfectly logical baseless insults?

Defeat her with the power of his manly strength/run her over with his horse, of course!

The prince thundered along on his great black horse and presently came to the common.[...]The prince did not draw rein. He thundered straight on. He scattered the geese in every direction. He would have galloped right over the girl if his horse had not swerved just as its hoofs were upon her. Then he drew rein.

Hmmm, although said horse looks to be already developing a growing respect for the girl. How much more savage is this MANLY MAN than his own animal. The prince is, unfortunately, is a little slower on the uptake.

He gets around though. Or at least he starts to. Erith saves him from drowning in a swamp and teaches him correct manners, a.k.a. how to talk to people in a civilized manner. It's quite touching, and a welcome break in the story's satirical tone when Erith (for the first time) gently chastises him for his unfounded arrogance--though I won't quote it here because I've quoted far too much already. He's still got the princely swagger thing going on, however.

This becomes especially obvious when he decides that, rather than trying to assuage his insecurities by putting down Erith, he decides to marry her instead. Does he ask for permission? Nope. He's a prince, remember? And a man! And manly princes can do anything they want! They can conquer annoying girls by making them bow down to their romantic advances!

Except, nope.

What follows is a series of increasingly hilarious marriage proposals on the part of the prince. When she rejects him, he tries to ruin her economic security. But Erith outwits him at every turn, and makes him submit to her terms, not those that the prince has been taught to use by the society that raised him to be the jerkass he is now.

"Will you marry me?" said he.

"No," said she, "and that's flat--not till you learn manners, at least."

Cue a routine that's going to repeat itself quite a while for the next few scenes. He throws a fit of rage, storms off and waits for the next day to propose again.

"Will you marry me?" said he.

"When you kneel to ask me," said she. "Not before."

Cue temper tantrum, attempt at causing financial ruin, Erith laughing at him, etc. Rinse and repeat. Jesus fucking Christ, when will this guy ever learn?

"Are you starving yet?" [asked the prince].

"Far from it. I am richer than I ever was," and she shook her pocket till all the gold danced, for she feared nothing. But it was a foolish thing to do, for in a moment he had whipped out his sword and cut the pocket clean from the petticoat.

"Now will you marry me?" he asked, and held the pocket high and rattled the gold.

"Not I," she said, "if you are so poor that you'd have to live on your wife's earnings." And went her way singing.

Hmmm...

All the humor aside, there is an undercurrent of real-world truth to this story, this scene in particular. I think even as a 4th grader, I recognized that this was the ultimate insult to the prince's masculinity--the accusation that as a potential husband, he was financially inadequate to support a wife. There are studies even today, in our modern age, that men who are married to women who earn more money than they do tend to feel insecure, because for so long in human history it was almost always the men who were the breadwinners. And indeed, it's after this incident that the prince finally collapses emotionally and stops, at last, trying to force Erith to marry him.

The pince was ashamed of himself. He had never felt like it before, and it was very uncomfortable; it made him feel all tired and hot. It was all the goose girl's fault, of course, and he was very angry. But still he wished he had not stolen her money, and the thought of her little shorn head with its dancing curls made him feel for the first time in his life that he had a heart, and that it hurt.

The interesting thing for this scene is that Erith's accusation isn't true ("you are so poor that you'd have to live on your wife's earnings"), at least not in the practical sense. He stole from her, but he still holds the wealth of a prince. He's still perfectly capable of financially supporting a marriage. The issue here isn't an economic one. It's his emotional identification with playing the role of a man, and with himself as an individual. Mordaunt couldn't make this more clear with the vivid psychological breakdown he's going through--look at his attempt to self-justify his actions, shift the blame to the goose girl, and at last realize that his emotional predicament is really his own fault. She DOES like him--"perhaps because he was as fearless and obstinate as she herself." All Erith had been trying to teach him was really to be polite. But for him, it was still too much to ask.

The ending of this story is, in my opinion, the most fascinating part. At this point, the prince realizes that all his domineering attempts to court Erith never held a scrap of hope in the first place. His emotional breakdown--or more specifically, the breakdown of his self-identification with being the powerful man he thought he was, perhaps his entire life--effectively strips him of his physical power as well, to the point that a bunch of robbers who previously feared him suddenly have no qualms about binding and gagging him and leaving him on the roadside to die.

It doesn't matter. "Such a poor thing can shame make of any one of us." The robbers might have been the ones to carry out the action, but it is Erith who has brought him emotionally to his knees. At this point, all he can do is scrabble for his most basic sense of self-respect. '"Anyone who finds me will make a fine mock of me," thought the prince. And he seemed to burn with rage and shame.'

Still though, Erith finds it in herself to pity him--perhaps, Mordaunt suggests, in a way that the prince would never have pitied anyone else. And I think it's important to note that a woman can knock down traditional gender roles without being a selfish, arrogant shrew. Erith is witty and clever and extremely wise, but she also has the traditionally womanly quality of kindness and compassion. And that's totally fine. In fact, it's a quality that women and men can share equally--one could argue that Erith's greatest influence on the prince is teaching him the most important lesson of human empathy.

By a rather staggering twist of irony, it's in this encounter that the prince--at last!--gains the verbal upper hand, ostensibly for the first time in his life against a woman who could actually match his strength. But only after he's learned his lesson.

In a moment she was to the ground, had whipped out the little knife, which she still carried in her belt, and cut the bandage and drew the gag from his mouth. She was turning to the ropes around the wrists and ankles then, when--"Stop!" said the prince.

Then, "Will you marry me, Erith?"

"It's a queer time to be asking that," replied the goose girl.

"You charged me to ask on my knees," answered the prince dryly, "and I am here. Will you marry me now?"

"An' it please you," corrected she, with calm blue eyes.

"An' it please you, dear heart," said he, almost meekly.

As life will eventually tell you, true pride comes from humility. And balance comes from respect. I think Erith would have married the prince when he first asked, overblown reputation or no, if only he'd had the thoughtfulness to respect her role in consenting. And again, Mordaunt does make it pretty clear that Erith likes him--they certainly match each other in sheer stubbornness if not in wisdom, after all. But she'll only marry him when he's ready.

There are many ways to interpret this story of course. I personally see it as the most effective ridicule and deconstruction of culturally-valued masculinity (and femininity) that I have ever read. It's such an amazing literary feat of balance between men and women that I have trouble coming up with any modern story to equal it. (Perhaps the only one I can find is Susanna Clarke's Ladies of Grace Adieau--also a collection of short stories.) There is no oversimplified shaming of gender roles, only a deconstruction of how culture perceives them. Respect between men and women is promoted (in an implied medieval setting, I should add) without devaluing or putting down altogether marriage as an institution. The prince's masculine bluster is broken down, but his character as an individual and as a person is still preserved, implying that overconfident men don't have to learn respect towards women at the expense of their identity--an issue that most modern novels I've read still fail to fully address.

Lastly--a seemingly unimportant detail, but one that caught my attention--there's one scene when Erith cuts off her (long and beautiful, we are told) hair willy-nilly, and for the first time we as readers get to experience a shift in the Male Gaze--undoubtedly a part of the prince's attraction to Erith aside from her personality. The attraction is still there, but the power to define her physical values as a woman undeniably belongs to Erith. And it always will. I can't conceive of a way Mordaunt could have conveyed this message that women, not men, should have control over their own bodies more effectively or subtly than she does here. A minor part, but it should be noted that Mordaunt does end the story with that in mind: "But her head was bare [of a crown] save that of short golden curls."

And all this in what, 19 pages? You have got to be kidding me.

In short: congratulations, Elinor Mordaunt. You, an author born in the 19th century, wrote a story with more moral nuance and sensitivity with regards to feminism than 95% of novels written in the 21st century. I am forever in awe of your literary skill. It's only a pity that practically no one has heard of your story before; we could use more writers like you.

Hey guys, I hope you all are having a great day! This is my September 2015 Anticipated Releases list! This is going to be a long list, just so you guys know. I think the most books I’m anticipating in this year so far is in this month.

So, without further ado these are the September 2015 releases on my TBR:

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

hardcover: 656 pages

releasing September 1st, 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Sarah J. Maas's New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series reaches new heights in this sweeping fourth volume.

 

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

 

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

 

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

THE AMAZING FOURTH BOOK IN THE Throne of Glass SERIES! Yep, Heir of Fire was kind of more of a build-up and really focused on character growth. So, I have quite high expectations from this book after the way the last one ended! And we all seriously need a good Celaena-Chaol reunion because I will have a heart attack if I don’t! Also, Celaena is finally going to kick Arobynn’s butt.

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

hardcover: 320 pages

releasing September 1st, 2015 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

 

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

 

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

 

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

OMG this book sounds so interesting! Personally, I’m not one for the romance in this book. But that’s not why I decided to read this one. I feel like YA doesn’t really have a whole lot of variety in illnesses—otherwise it is romanticized. That is the only thing that is bugging me about this one, but other than that, give me your best shot, Everything Everything!

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

hardcover: 384 pages

releasing September 15th, 2015 by Balzer + Bray

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

 

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

 

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

Honestly, I read the synopsis of this one and I fell in love. I’ve heard of books where people maybe want to work towards making their body “better”. This is the first book where I’ve heard about a girl who is beginning to become self-conscious and is going to prove to everyone that she can stay that way! Also the fact that she has a boyfriend who actually likes her for who she is, because I’ve kind of had enough of the “girl’s beauty is equivalent to Ms. Universe but her mirror has some defects and that’s why she can’t see it” so I have, once again, HIGH expectations from this one! Also, this is a standalone so I will be delivered all this greatness in one go.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bows

hardcover: 384 pages

releasing September 22nd by Margaret K. McElderry Books

A world battered by climate shift and war turns to an ancient method of keeping peace: the exchange of hostages. The Children of Peace—sons and daughters of kings and presidents and generals—are raised together in small, isolated schools called Prefectures. There, they learn history and political theory, and are taught to gracefully accept what may well be their fate: to die if their countries declare war.

 

Greta Gustafsen Stuart, Duchess of Halifax and Crown Princess of the Pan-Polar Confederation, is the pride of the North American Prefecture. Learned and disciplined, Greta is proud of her role in keeping the global peace—even though, with her country controlling two-thirds of the world’s most war-worthy resource—water—she has little chance of reaching adulthood alive.

 

Enter Elián Palnik, the Prefecture’s newest hostage and biggest problem. Greta’s world begins to tilt the moment she sees Elián dragged into the school in chains. The Prefecture’s insidious surveillance, its small punishments and rewards, can make no dent in Elián, who is not interested in dignity and tradition, and doesn’t even accept the right of the UN to keep hostages.

 

What will happen to Elián and Greta as their two nations inch closer to war?

This is a standalone (from what I’ve heard) and these days, I’m really enjoying standalones because they’re . . . less stressful to read (you know what I mean?). So the premise of this book sounds like that there’s a lot to offer, since the world is so different and there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of romance in this one! Just . . . everything about this book sounds awesome to me! :D

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

hardcover: 432 pages

releasing September 22nd, 2015 by Greenwillow Books

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

 

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes.

 

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research.

Three things about this one: (1) I am a historical fiction nerd even if I don’t know a whole lot about that time period myself, (2) umm, gender-bending (duh, that’s like my all-time favorite trope) and (3) Rae Carson who has written one of my all-time favorites: The Girl of Fire and Thorns WROTE THIS *fangirls* so I am waiting for this book to come out! I want to read her new trilogy and worship her and stuff.  I think this author is amazing at world-building and making really in-depth characters, so I can’t wait to meet some new ones!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

hardcover: 480 pages

releasing September 29th, 2015 by Henry Holt and Company

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone . . .

 

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

 

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

This book sounds so badass, that I can’t even comprehend how badass it’s going to be. Also, Leigh Bardugo wrote The Grisha trilogy which isn’t my favorite, but was very enjoyable for me! I believe this is going to be a series, so I’m ready for that! I’ve heard that this book is based in the same world as The Grisha so I’m hoping to see more on how this world is after the events of Ruin and Rising! Maybe we’ll even get to see more characters in this one from The Grisha! I also really love heist themes in this book and characters that are familiar with street-smarts! I am. VERY. EXCITED. AS YOU CAN PROBABLY TELL.

Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti

hardcover: 560 pages

releasing September 29th, 2015 by Simon Pulse

Ethan, aka “Scam,” has a way with words. When he opens his mouth, whatever he wants you to hear comes out. But Ethan isn’t just a smooth talker. He has a unique ability to say things he doesn’t consciously even know. Sometimes the voice helps, but sometimes it hurts—like now, when the voice has lied and has landed Ethan in a massive mess. So now Ethan needs help. And he needs to go to the last people who would ever want to help him—his former group of friends, the self-named “zeros” who also all possess similarly double-edged abilities, and who are all angry at Ethan for their own respective reasons. Brought back together by Scam’s latest mischief, they find themselves entangled in an epic, whirlwind adventure packed with as much interpersonal drama as mind-bending action.

I think this is a first in a new series! To be honest, I just looked at the title and cover and decided this was going to be cool. Also, like I mentioned above, I feel like this book may be a heist theme, and since the main character is known as Scam I want to see how he earned that name! I feel like the Zeroes may be a really cool group, and I haven’t really heard of anything like this one. I’m kind of going to jump into this without listening to reviews because I want to see what this could be for myself!

And that’s it! Let me know down below what you guys think about some of my anticipated releases for 2015! :D Thanks for reading!