Oooooh, folks, if you have ever thought, “I’d like a book about Pre-Code Hollywood, please, but make it queer, add magic and a dollop of horror, and have the main character be a Chinese-American lesbian who stars in monster movies as a killer mermaid,” then first of all I would say, “Wow, that’s very specific!” and then I would say, “Luckily here is the book RIGHT HERE!” because Siren Queen is pretty amazing. Our heroine, … Continue reading Siren Queen by Nghi Vo →
NB: We have a doozy of a book rant this Saturday, but after spending some quality time with family members, we might all be in need of letting out a little aggression. The Ladies of Missalonghi also sounds like a pretty good candidate for an intense hate read. This particular book rant comes from author Marian Perera. Marian Perera lived in Sri Lanka, Dubai and Texas before settling in Toronto (for now), where she runs … Continue reading Book Rant: The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough →
From award-winning author Nghi Vo comes a dazzling new novel where immortality is just a casting call away. It was magic. In every world, it was a kind of magic. “No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.” Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. Coming of age in pre-Code Hollywood, she knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese American girl from … Continue reading Siren Queen →
Immigrant. Socialite. Magician. Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society―she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her. But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental … Continue reading The Chosen and the Beautiful →
Immigrant. Socialite. Magician. Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society―she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her. But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental … Continue reading The Chosen and the Beautiful →
“Dangerous, subtle, unexpected and familiar, angry and ferocious and hopeful. . . . The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a remarkable accomplishment of storytelling.”—NPR The cleric Chih finds themself and their companions at the mercy of a band of fierce tigers who ache with hunger. To stay alive until the mammoths can save them, Chih must unwind the intricate, layered story of the tiger and her scholar lover—a woman of courage, intelligence, and beauty—and discover how … Continue reading When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain →
I’m honestly not sure what having all the images from the episode in the podcast entry would do to the feeds it serves, so I’ll be doing a separate entry with all the visual aids and linking it. You can also find all the RTRW content at our category page for Romantic Times Rewind. And, most importantly, if you want to listen and follow along with this entry, we have more detail in the audio, … Continue reading Romantic Times Rewind: May 2014 Review Images →
An imaginative and sprawling epic fantasy reimagining of the Mongol Empire’s invasion of Persia, following the lives and treacherous journeys of four key figures in the heart of war. 1260, Persia: Due to the efforts of the great Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire covers a vast portion of the known world. In the shadow of his grandfather, Hulagu Khan, ruler of the Ilkhanate, is determined to create a single empire that covers the entire world. … Continue reading The Judas Blossom →
This month’s Kickass Women doubles as a review of the graphic novel Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts, by Rebecca Hall (Grade: A). This nonfiction book describes Hall’s efforts to uncover the history of women who led slave rebellions – women who often went unnamed and erased by history. Dr. Hall, who qualifies as a kickass woman in her own right, also describes the psychological toll of doing this research, and the way … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Sarah, Lily, Abigail, and Amba →
A soulful tour of Palestinian cooking today from the Ottolenghi restaurants’ executive chef and partner—120 recipes shaped by his personal story as well as the history of Palestine. The story of Palestine’s food is really the story of its people. When the events of 1948 forced residents from all regions of Palestine together into one compressed land, recipes that were once closely guarded family secrets were shared and passed between different groups in an effort … Continue reading Falastin →
Ed note: I (Sarah) strongly recommend you open this post in a new tab, then open all the links in subsequent tabs and savor each one individually. It’ll take awhile. It’ll be worth it- trust me. It took me over an hour to edit this, partially because I was making sure the links were accessible geographically, and partially because I was watching song after song. Repeatedly. I am now so high on Eurovision Endorphins I … Continue reading Stuff We Like: Eurovision! →
