KATHY DAWSON BOOKS

An imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Sneakily exploring the meaning of life through middle grade and young adult fiction and some other stuff (sometimes this page takes a while to load--wait for it)

Young Heroines Who Are Saviors, but Not Saints

From the New York Times, a round-up of strong girl protagonists, including Drest from The Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras. “12-year-old Drest, who lives in medieval Scotland, shouldn’t be on her quest either. When her father and brothers are captured by knights, her father’s parting orders are clear: Save yourself and hide. But Drest is a ferocious heroine, and after finding a wounded knight left behind by the enemy, she conjures a plan to travel to Faintree Castle and exchange the knight for her family before they’re hanged. “

The stunning new novel about silenced female voices, family secrets and dangerous truths from the author of The Accident Season.
When Deena’s wild older sister Mandy goes missing, presumed dead, Deena refuses to believe it’s true. Especially when...

The stunning new novel about silenced female voices, family secrets and dangerous truths from the author of The Accident Season. 

When Deena’s wild older sister Mandy goes missing, presumed dead, Deena refuses to believe it’s true. Especially when letters start arriving–letters from Mandy–which proclaim that their family’s blighted history is not just bad luck or bad decisions but a curse, handed down to women from generation to generation. Mandy’s gone to find the root of the curse before it’s too late for Deena. But is the curse even real? And is Mandy still alive? Deena’s desperate, cross-country search for her beloved sister–guided only by the notes that mysteriously appear at each destination, leading her to former Magdalene laundry sites and more–is a love letter to women and a heartbreaking cathartic journey.

[A]n astonishingly potent offering to women who break the mold.”—Booklist, starred review

“With a memorable blend of magic and reality, Fowley-Doyle tells a harrowing and ultimately empowering story
…” —The Horn Book

Beautiful and visceral, All the Bad Apples is for readers who’ve had enough of shame and secrets. This essential book unearths what patriarchy wants to keep buried, dragging truth into the light with a fierce belief in the power of telling stories. Moïra Fowley-Doyle has crafted a tale devastating in its universality.”—Joy McCullough, author of Blood Water Paint


An uncompromising, raw tale … Told in a mix of letters, family stories, and narrative, this devastating novel manages to find hope for the future while sending pointed messages that are as vital as they are timely.”—Publishers Weekly

“[T]he echo of past trauma is hauntingly underscored by the invocation of the banshee scream, and the book has a simmering, authentically righteous fury … Give this to readers of Wallace’s The Memory Trees or Griffin’s Other Words for Smoke for a similarly eerie look at how present ills are informed by past sins.”—BCCB

An emotional journey through Ireland’s unspoken history… . Simultaneously enjoyable and difficult to read, Fowley-Doyle’s fast-paced, evocative novel introduces … unsettling truths, both historical and contemporary, such as incest, rape, abortion, child labor, and violence against women and those in the LGBTQ community. These topics, however, are important and are handled with great care …  Recommended for readers who enjoy realistic and historical fiction.”—School Library Journal

seraph-grace:
“*hyperventilating* IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING THIS, I AM PASSED OUT ON MY FLOOR SEND HELP.
but seriously, this is exactly how i picture Po, this is great.
holy jesus.
”
How have I never seen this before?

seraph-grace:

*hyperventilating* IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING THIS, I AM PASSED OUT ON MY FLOOR SEND HELP.

but seriously, this is exactly how i picture Po, this is great.

holy jesus.

How have I never seen this before?

A STARRED review in Kirkus Reviews for the last book in the Three Times Lucky series by Sheila Turnage!
“…lively cast rich with heartfelt emotion and quick-witted charm. Exceptional command of voices delivered with wit propels this fast-paced...

A STARRED review in Kirkus Reviews for the last book in the Three Times Lucky series by Sheila Turnage!

“…lively cast rich with heartfelt emotion and quick-witted charm. Exceptional command of voices delivered with wit propels this fast-paced treasure-hunt tale into a pitch-perfect delight… . Lovers of the previous books will delight in the return of Mo, and if they can get through the end without welling up, they’re tougher than most—it’s absolutely worth the wait.”

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sheila-turnage/the-law-of-finders-keepers/

maradyeries:
“Spellbook of the Lost & Found || June 1 2017
“ One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something...
maradyeries:
“Spellbook of the Lost & Found || June 1 2017
“ One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something...
maradyeries:
“Spellbook of the Lost & Found || June 1 2017
“ One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something...
maradyeries:
“Spellbook of the Lost & Found || June 1 2017
“ One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something...
maradyeries:
“Spellbook of the Lost & Found || June 1 2017
“ One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something...
maradyeries:
“Spellbook of the Lost & Found || June 1 2017
“ One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something...

maradyeries:

Spellbook of the Lost & Found || June 1 2017

One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something bigger; something she won’t talk about.

Then Olive meets three wild, mysterious strangers: Ivy, Hazel and Rowan. Like Rose, they’re mourning losses - and holding tight to secrets.

When they discover the ancient spellbook, full of hand-inked charms to conjure back lost things, they realise it might be their chance to set everything right. Unless it’s leading them towards secrets that were never meant to be found …

I love this

Anonymous asked:
could you rec some wlw ya books? thanksss

dykerightsmp3:

this keeps getting longer!! but I’ve read all of these, so ask me if you have any questions about them! If you’re looking for more masterposts, try @wlwbooksource

Genre Fic w Major WLW Couples

  • The Abyss Surrounds Us Duology by Emily Skrutskie: lesbian pirate x lesbian sea monster trainer in the future. Literally. One of my proudest achievements is giving this book hype. The author draws fanart of Swift and Cas kissing and posts it to her tumblr (again, not kidding, there’s some on my blog). Main character is asian. otp: equal footing
  • Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore!!! oh my god I love this book. it’s got a bi girl as the protagonist and it’s super atmospheric and interesting and references all these classics but is also modern and her romance plot is genuinely Iconic
  • Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant: an ICONIC novel about killer mermaids and a sarcastic bi scientist who falls for an autistic PR girl. also it’s fucking terrifying bye
  • The Scorpion Rules Duology by Erin Bow: literally one of my fave books of all time, amazingly complex villain, super strong bi girl protag and her adorable bi gf, you will be genuinely confused which side is good and which side is bad, the three main characters are So Good, tw for an unhappy ending to this one but it’s… not any of the tropes. also a semi-hopeful end in the sequel which was?? good??
  • The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers: This book is such hopeful and interesting and character-driven scifi. 
  • In Ageless Sleep by Arden Ellis: if you want a sci-fi novella with some hella good romance. especially for being approximately 50 pages. 
  • Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire!! if you want a wlw novella that talks about gender roles and is the sequel to A FUCKING HUGO AWARD WINNER. this series is super diverse in so many ways. 
  • That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston: wow can’t believe E.K. Johnston invented writing stories driven by women?? it’s about polyamory in a scifi futuristic victorian Canada. and yes, it is exactly as amazing as it sounds. 
  • Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardhoust: character driven wlw snow white retelling!!! 
  • The Accident Season and Spellbook of the Lost & Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle: two weird vaguely magical realist books about Lesbians. Spellbook is the gayer one - it’s double pov and one lead is a bi girl who falls for a guy and one lead is a lesbian who falls for another bi girl and it’s!! pure!!
  • Dreadnought Duology by April Daniels: okay it’s about a trans girl who becomes a superhero and dates another superhero girl and yes it IS amazing. 
  • Otherbound: f/f romance with a bi girl as main character. There’s literally not a single white character. It’s about body swapping and fantasy! talks frankly about the issues in the main relationship, suspenseful. Sense8 in a way.  
  • Ash and Huntress by Malinda Lo: occur in the same world, although you don’t have to read both. Ash is lesbian cinderella. Huntress focuses more on character development and is my personal favorite, but tw for a bittersweet ending. Malinda Lo also wrote the Adaptation series, featuring a bisexual protag and her alien gf, but that one wasn’t my favorite. I know a lot of people who love it though!
  • The Dark Wife by Sara Diemer: girl Persephone / Hades. My gay classics student ass unabashedly loved this. I think you can get it free on the author'a blog? Attempted rape tw (not between the main couple, their relationship was entirely consensual)
  • Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda: Another Hugo Award winner but this time a graphic novel!! it’s complicated but it’s super worth it and all the mcs are morally ambiguous woc

Contemporary w Major WLW Couples

  • A & B by J.C. Lillis!! y'all have GOT to read this. it’s seriously the most delightful enemies-to-lovers filled-with-banter novel and maybe my fav romance book ever?? it’s fucking HILARIOUS.
  • Love Letters To The Dead: the wlw “side-romance” is honestly given just as much screentime as (if not more than) the main romance. literally one of my all-time favorite romances in anything ever, I read this book in my questioning phase and it changed my life
  • This Is Where It Ends: lesbians at a school shooting, primarily non-white characters, you will cry (spoilers: they both live and stay together)
  • Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley: 1960s civil rights era lesbians, ends happily. It emphasizes all of the problematic tropes often used in “overcoming racism” stories and why they’re not okay. This was recced to me by a black person so I trust that assessment. I also really love her other books, which have a lot of wlw as well. 
  • Lies My Girlfriend Told Me: Basically: Girl #1 finds out her dead girlfriend was cheating on her with Girl #2. Girl #1 and Girl #2 fall in love. This book is so adorable. The author has several thousand other wlw books so knock yourselves out. 
  • Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan: a cheesefest with racial diversity. I love this book so much (it’s so good and PURE) even though it’s not hugely deep. 
  • You Know Me Well by David Levithan + Nina Lacour: The authors alone should be enough to make you want to read this. I still am lowkey bitter the two boys didn’t end up together, but they stay friends and all so it’s fine. Found family!
  • Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld: Storyline between two girl authors in New York, ends happily!! also the protagonist was confirmed acearo spec on Twitter which is pretty obvious if you read the book. I’ve heard his other series Zeroes has lesbians too
  • Everything Leads To You by Nina Lacour: moviemaker wlw! cheesy as all hell, but adorable and really deep. very much recommended if you’re into moviemaking or acting
  • Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde: I think everyone has read this already but it’s Pure and about fandom
  • Get It Together Delilah / the Flywheel by Erin Gough: read this if you want cute cheesy girls falling in love at a coffee shop!!
  • for some of my fav shorts!! the story How from Roxane Gay’s Difficult Women is one of my fav wlw short stories ever. Also try out Alyssa Wong’s Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers, it’s free from tor and really fucking great!! and Nic Stone’s Happy Beginning from the Welcome Home anthology is a beautiful cinnamon roll of a story that I’ll never get over and I’d die for her

Some That Aren’t Love Stories Quite As Much: 

  • Far From You by Tess Sharpe: crime thriller with bi / recovering drug addict main character and major f/f romance. Not a happy ending for the couple bc the romance is in the past, but happy ending for the protagonist. This is one of my all time fave books not even lying
  • Exit Pursued By A Bear by EK Johnston: About the main character’s rape and her subsequent abortion. Main character does not have a romance plot, but her best friend (the second most important character) is a lesbian and falls in love with another friend. This one doesn’t belong quite as much, but it’s one of my all time favorite books ever and it’s all about female friendship / love and it’s?? pure?? (ALSO READ HER OTHER BOOK A THOUSAND NIGHTS ID DIE FOR EK JOHNSTON)
  • Cherry: About female friendships and relationships with sex, really feminist. There are four girls, one realizes she’s gay, and her friends are just so pure and supportive about it???? there’s a bit of romance but I still feel like it’s more about the friendships between the girls. 
  • Beauty Queens by Libba Bray: f/f romance, one lesbian one bi girl and one trans girl. Hilarious social commentary, very feminist, lots of woc. Libba Bray also has another hist fiction series that I’ve heard is gay (the first book is called A Great And Terrible Beauty) but I don’t know much about it. 
  • Kissing The Witch: Sometimes-gay versions of fairytales, really really interesting and pure and GREAT. 
  • Tricks and sequel Traffick by Ellen Hopkins: about kids forced into prositution, so all the tws. among main characters, there’s a gay guy and a bi girl!  Ignore the back that says “four straight one gay” because it’s a lie and publishers need to shut up. The bi girl is just?? such an amazing character and I love her with all my heart. 
  • If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan: realistic fiction about what wlw in Iran have to go through. tw for a not-great end for the couple, but there’s no death and the main character is happy. It’s more about the self-acceptance of the main character than about the romance. 
  • Ask The Passengers by A.S. King: magical realism kind of? more about coming out than about romance. Happy ending. 
  • The Miseducation Of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth: again, more about coming out, but wow this book is amazing. Happy ending for the girl, not for the couple. 

Fucked-Up Female Friendships Aesthetic

  • Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls by: This book is so freaky and messed up and I’m still not exactly sure how it ended, but it still blew me away. The Mr and Mrs Smith wlw au you never knew you wanted, although I’m not going to spoil how. Fucked up ending but still happyish? 
  • Dare Me by Megan Abbot: This book is creepy as fuck and revolves around the relationship between two girls which is… really gay, like canonically gay. I liked this a lot, but be warned that it’s not a romance. Happy ending mostly?
  • Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas: This one had a lot of wasted potential in the form of a well-built story about the craziness of rich kids partying, but it is a very good murder mystery focused around two girls. 

This list!

I just discovered Can We Talk About TROUBLE IS A FRIEND OF MINE? at PenguinTeen.com http://www.penguinteen.com/trouble-is-a-friend-of-mine-passion-piece/
Visit PenguinTeen.com to discover the latest bestsellers, early excerpts, exclusive author...

I just discovered Can We Talk About TROUBLE IS A FRIEND OF MINE? at PenguinTeen.com http://www.penguinteen.com/trouble-is-a-friend-of-mine-passion-piece/

Visit PenguinTeen.com to discover the latest bestsellers, early excerpts, exclusive author content, and more.

(Source: penguinteen.com)

princelybensolo:
“GUYS!!!!!! Trouble Series #3 is finally here!!!!!!!!!!!!!
APRIL 24, 2018If you’re sad and bored of waiting, I’m leaving the links to the playlists I’ve made from the first two books (if you’re interested):
- Trouble is a Friend of...

princelybensolo:

GUYS!!!!!! Trouble Series #3 is finally here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

APRIL 24, 2018

If you’re sad and bored of waiting, I’m leaving the links to the playlists I’ve made from the first two books (if you’re interested):

- Trouble is a Friend of Mine
- Trouble Makes a Comeback

I love when readers get into trouble

(Source: abladeofcuttingwit)

jinlian:

a few things about katsa/po, The Romance

  • po is not white. he is a male lead character of color, and he also becomes a disabled lead character of color
  • katsa is a gnc woman
  • the book remembers that katsa has been used and abused by men her whole life and makes that a huge important point when the characters begin to discuss romance. this is actually the biggest sticking point and “romantic drama” the book ever has. po not only understands this but is actively careful not to overstep any boundaries with her (”he pressed nothing upon her, not even his gaze”) and works with her to find a way to deal with his grace not just in a romantic context but in an everyday one as well.
  • the book prioritizes katsa’s mental health and freedom over romance
  • the book knows that both characters’ feelings are important and should be understood
  • the book understands that the arrangement the characters make wrt their romance is not, in fact, necessarily an easy one for either of them – but it is still the right one. it establishes honesty and communication as crucial to maintaining either a friendship or a romance and brings this around again in the sequel eight years later.
  • and what’s REALLY IMPORTANT ALSO is that the book does all of this and still gives them a happy, sound, loving, lasting relationship

This!

(via myweeksallbooked)

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