Can't Wait Wednesday No. 64: The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, by Mackenzi Lee

Welcome to "Can't Wait Wednesday"!

This is a weekly event hosted by

Tressa @ Wishful Endings!

This is also where we excited book bloggers showcase future releases we're eagerly anticipating! 
For more information, 
please click HERE.


There's also a Linky widget, so participating blogs can link up!

Here's my choice for this week!

 The Lady's Guide to Petticoats

and Piracy

(The Montague Siblings, Book 2)

Mackenzi Lee

Hardcover, 464 pages

Katherine Tegen Books

     October 2, 2018        

Feminist Fiction, Historical Fiction, 

Young Adult Fiction

Felicity Montague is through with pretending she prefers society parties to books about bone setting—or that she’s not smarter than most people she knows, or that she cares about anything more than her dream of becoming a doctor.

A year after an accidentally whirlwind tour of Europe, which she spent evading highwaymen and pirates with her brother Monty, Felicity has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of Callum Doyle, a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh; and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science.

But then a small window of hope opens. Doctor Alexander Platt, an eccentric physician that Felicity idolizes, is looking for research assistants, and Felicity is sure that someone as forward thinking as her hero would be willing to take her on. However, Platt is in Germany, preparing to wed Felicity’s estranged childhood friend Johanna. Not only is Felicity reluctant to opening old wounds, she also has no money to make the trip.

Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid. In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that will lead her from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.

 

Why I can't wait for this one!

This sounds like such an AMAZING, FUN read! It also sounds like a serious one, since it focuses on a young woman who goes against what the society of her time thought was "proper behavior" for a female. And then she's drawn into what looks like spying and other adventures. And there's piracy involved, too!! OF COURSE I NEED TO OWN THIS BOOK. The minute I read the synopsis, the mercury in my "Book Excitement Meter" shot up to the stratosphere! Lol.




Here's is the first installment in 
this TERRIFIC series!!
Click on the cover for the 
Goodreads page!

Mackenzi Lee holds a BA in History and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Simmons College. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the historical fantasy novels This Monstrous Thing (Sept., 2015) and The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (June, 2017), as well as the forthcoming The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (October, 2018) and Semper Augustus (coming in 2019 from Flatiron/Macmillan). 

She is also the author of Bygone Badass Broads (February, 2018), a collection of short biographies of amazing women from history you probably don't know about but definitely should, based on her popular Twitter series of the same name.

She currently calls Boston home, where she manages an independent bookstore, drinks too much Diet Coke, and pets every dog she meets.

Website/Goodreads/Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

What do you think of my
choice this week? 
Please leave a comment and
let me know!

  

The Book Lover's Den No. 28: Gender and Fiction/Nonfiction Genres, Part 2

Welcome to my renewed literary musing feature! I have decided 

to post it on Mondays now!

In each weekly post, I explore 

my thoughts on several 

book-related topics.

This Week's Topic

 Are gender and fiction/nonfiction genres always connected?

(This is Part 2 of last week's topic.

You can view the previous post

HERE.) 

In last Monday's post, I referred to a rather infuriating incident, in which a man presumed to tell me,  that, since I'm a woman, I'm NOT supposed to read science fiction! My reply to that ridiculous comment was far from a brilliant one, unfortunately. Suffice it to say that, since I found myself between a rock and a hard place (the original post will explain why), I could not really respond as this guy deserved.

From this man's rather benighted remark, I gathered that he himself was a lover of the genre he thought I had no right to read. Thus, he probably felt that I was 'encroaching' on what he felt was an all-male preserve.

As the die-hard SF fan this man obviously claimed to be, he was woefully oblivious to  the many highly-talented FEMALE science fiction writers who have given fans of this field so many memorable works.

Some of my readers may already be familiar with some of the names I'm listing in this post. Others might not, and, if so, you guys are in for some very pleasant surprises! So here's a partial list of these authors, all women, yes, indeed, and all BRILLIANT.

Ursula K. Le Guin: This writer passed away earlier this year, unfortunately. The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) is perhaps her best-known work, but she has written many others. She has won numerous awards, among them the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. Any SF fan worth her/his salt who claims never to have heard of her has definitely been living under a rock -- on a far-flung planet in the Andromeda system.

Octavia Butler: One of the best-known among the few African-American writers in the field, she authored the famous Kindred (1979). She has won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. Parable of the Sower (1993), another of her well-known works, examines issues of gender and race.

James Tiptree, Jr.: Yes, she was a woman. She chose to use a man's pen name because of guys like my "all-knowing friend" who thinks women should not be reading SF. Her real name was Alice Hastings Bradley Sheldon. Male chauvinist nincompoops would probably NEVER have even touched any of her books the minute they saw the name "Alice" on the cover. Her two most famous novels are Up the Walls of the World (1978) and Brightness Falls from the Air (1985).

Pamela Sargent: This writer has won both the Nebula and Locus awards, and has been a finalist for the Hugo award. The Shore of Women (1986) is an important work in which she analyzes the dynamics of male and female power within the context of the science fiction genre. Her Seed Trilogy is also well-known. Furthermore, she has co-authored Star Trek TOS and Next Generation novels with fellow SF author George Zebrowski.

Andre Norton: Another female writer using a man's pen name. Her real name was Alice Mary Norton, and she was the first woman inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. She was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, and was also given the Life Achievement Award by the World Fantasy Convention. She wrote fantasy as well as SF. She penned several bestselling series, such as Time Traders and Solar Queen.

Joanna Russ: This writer has won several important awards in the field: the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Locus Poll Award, the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, and the SF Chronicle Award. Important works include The Female Man (1975) and We Who Are About To.... (1977). 

Marion Zimmer Bradley: She is best known for her Darkover series, which deals with feminist issues. She is also the author of the fantasy classic, The Mists of Avalon (1979). Her career spanned over four decades. She also published Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine.

Of course, there are many more names to mention, so stay tuned for Part 3!

Online Links

Ursula K. Le Guin

Fantastic Fiction

Wikipedia

Octavia Butler

Fantastic Fiction

Wikipedia

James Tiptree, Jr.

Fantastic Fiction

Wikipedia

Pamela Sargent

Fantastic Fiction

Wikipedia

Andre Norton

Fantastic Fiction

Wikipedia

Joanna Russ

Fantastic Fiction

Wikipedia

Marion Zimmer Bradley

Fantastic Fiction

Wikipedia

 

What are your thoughts on
 this topic?
Please leave me a comment
and let me know!

Shelf Candy Saturday No. 250: The Arabian Nights, trans. by Sir Richard F. Burton

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!

*Late Edition*

This is my weekly feature

showcasing beautiful covers!

It also provides information, 
if available, on their 
very talented creators!

Here's my choice for this week!

The Arabian Nights
(Trans. Sir Richard F. Burton)
Leatherbound Hardcover, 744  pages
Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classic Collection
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
September 11, 2009
Children's Classics, Fantasy

  

My Thoughts About This Cover

Last week, I featured a more recent, and shorter, edition of this famous classic. That newer edition is also a cheaper one, as it only costs $10.00 + tax, whether at a physical Barnes & Noble store, or at their website. Furthermore, that cheaper edition is really a flexcover, not a leatherbound hardcover. I know, because I saw it when I happened to be browsing at good ol' B&N the other night. The post in which I discussed that edition can be found HERE.

Well, now I must confess to being torn between these two editions..... I do think though, that I would tend to prefer the one I'm featuring today. That's because of three factors. First there's the abstract, circular design on this cover, which reminds me very much of a mandala. I LOVE mandalas! In fact, I LOVE circles! There's something SO visually satisfying about these geometric shapes..... 

Secondly, I also love the particular shade of blue used in this design. It's a beautiful sky blue, and the way it's all over this cover is, again, very visually satisfying!

Thirdly, I ADORE all the intricate detail! It's plant-based, and, although obviously influenced by Arabic design, which I also LOVE, it does bear a very close resemblance to another of my absolute loves -- Celtic design!

Of course, the symmetry of the entire design is also very compelling! And then there's the font used for the title, too. It's SO very beautiful, and references Arabic calligraphy so very well....

Again, I now find myself torn between this cover and the one I featured last week......But I'm thinking that this one will probably be the winner! Lol.

As usual with some of these B&N Collectible covers, I have no idea who the genius designer is..... The Amazon preview was of no help here. I will have to buy this book in order to find out! (Ha! What an excuse to buy a book! Lol.)

  

What do you think of 
this week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!

Can't Wait Wednesday No. 63: Shadow of the Fox, by Julie Kagawa

Welcome to "Can't Wait Wednesday"!

This is a weekly event hosted by

Tressa @ Wishful Endings!

This is also where we excited book bloggers showcase future releases we're eagerly anticipating! 
For more information, 
please click HERE.


There's also a Linky widget, so participating blogs can link up!

Here's my choice for this week!

 Shadow of the Fox

(Untitled, Book 1)

Julie Kagawa

Hardcover, 400 pages

Harlequin Teen

     October 2, 2018        

Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

Once Every Thousand Years...

Every millennium, one age ends and another age dawns...and whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers holds the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for any one wish. The time is near...and the missing pieces of the scroll will be sought throughout the land of Iwagoto. The holder of the first piece is a humble, unknown peasant girl with a dangerous secret.

Demons have burned the temple Yumeko was raised in to the ground, killing everyone within, including the master who trained her to both use and hide her kitsune shapeshifting powers. Yumeko escapes with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan. Yumeko knows he seeks what she has...and is under orders to kill anything and anyone who stands between him and the scroll.

A wish will be granted and a new age will dawn.

 

Why I can't wait for this one!

OMG, Julie Kagawa! I think I've been meaning to read her Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series in like FOREVER. Lol. And now we have this AMAZING surprise of a novel, which incorporates Japanese mythology and dragons?! Yeah, move over, Jay Kristoff!! I'm adding this one to my Goodreads shelves just as soon as I can!!

Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series, was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.
 

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time (okay, at least the illustrations did), but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all-time low. She lives with her husband, an obnoxious cat, an Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and a hyper-active Papillion.

Website/Goodreads/Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

What do you think of my
choice this week? 
Please leave a comment and
let me know!