Welcome to Litsy!

I've been reading this off an on for a bit. There are several incredible stories in here, such that sometimes I needed to pause after each one.

I thoroughly enjoyed most of the stories in this anthology! The authors were very inventive and crammed a lot of creativity in their short stories. A couple of the stories were just okay, but I can say I was captivated by most of them.

"...I started to wonder, Where is my fantasy, my future? Why don't Black people exist in speculative worlds?"

Man, the editor's introduction took me back to my childhood. I remember falling hard for speculative fiction. Like her, I wondered what happened to all of the Black people that seemingly disappeared from various versions of those strange and familiar worlds. My suspension of disbelief depended so much on ignoring the absence of BIPOC.

This SFF story collection focusing on Black Girl Magic through a variety of story types was such a fun read. Some of the stand out stories were Melie (mermaids), Wherein Abigail Fields... (Sapphic and western), and Letting the Right One In (sapphic and vampires?). The editor's note gives so much insight into history and inspiration behind many of the stories so I recommend checking that out.

Compared to these authors, my imagination is as deep as a Petri dish. Some stories didn‘t work for me, but they‘re all interesting, in the best sense. Sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy, futurism, mythology, social justice, queerness, resistance—something for almost anyone. Standouts: Gilded by Elizabeth Acevedo, Melie by Justina Ireland, All the Time in the World by Charlotte Nicole Davis, & Letting the Right One In by Patrice Caldwell (fave!) 3/5 ⭐️

I took in the Twilight Saga movie posters to my right. Bella looks so uninterested in Edward. Let‘s be honest, she would‘ve been better off alone—or with Alice.

[Patrice Caldwell]

[#accurate]

And when I go down to that place, no matter how much the rules of the sea differ from the rules of the land, I will bring my fire with me, and the air in my lungs, and though I may not be free, I will be seen.

[Alaya Dawn Johnson]

The subtitle on this is “Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope” which sounds fucking amazing, especially right now.

My September goals. A Clockwork Orange and Paradise Lost are Book club books.

More often than not, each new short story felt too short for me. Because this collection is sci-fi/fantasy, I don‘t think there was enough space to both set up and conclude the sixteen stories satisfactorily. I just kept wanting more. #bookspinbingo #readblackauthors

Beautiful cover! Read the first short story (by Amerie) and it was fantastic. Can‘t wait to get to the stories by Elizabeth Acevedo, Justina Ireland, Charlotte Nicole Davis among many others.

Bring on the #BlackGirlMagic.

The cover looks like it belongs in another series I can not remember at this time, but I love the colors. And I like short story collections so I am ready for this one.

Out Now - YA

#CoverLove
#BlackLivesMatter
#BlackAuthors
#BlackoutTuesday

I grew up loving stories about magic, princesses, witches, fairy tales, and girls being strong and celebrating themselves. Little girl me would've loved devouring these wonderful stories full of black girl magic; as an adult I gobbled them up. Perfect shot of power and confidence for these distracting, distressing times.

A wide-ranging short story collection of speculative fiction, all with Black girls as protagonists. From a slave revolt in the Caribbean in 1521, to 1880s New Mexico, to contemporary times, fantasy times & the distant future, these are stories of magic & transformation, of mermaids, vampires & soucouyants. My faves: When Life Hands You a Lemon Fruitbomb (Amerie‘s time travel + aliens) & Tender-headed (Danny Lore‘s modern Ariadne) #LGBTQ

It‘s like sun breaking through clouds … It‘s like the morning that you wake up and realize your braids have finally loosened up, that the headache is gone…
—Danny Lore, “Tender-headed” #LGBTQ

[internet photo]

This book was a good compilation of sci fi and fantasy stories written by black women. It's nice to see this genre branching out and publishing stories by more diverse groups.
My favorite stories were "Melie" by Justin's Ireland which featured dragons, Patrice Caldwell's "Let the Right One In" which was about vampires and touched on depression, and Ibi Zoboi's "Kiss the Sun" which was very creative and poetic.

Short stories full of ya magic and poc main characters. Varies and interesting. Some better then others, but lots of authors I know and love.

I‘ve hardly left my apartment for the entire month of March, but I was still able to support a couple of local indie bookshops and pick up some awesome reads! I‘m also super excited for this ARC of Dear Justyce (follow-up to Dear Martin)!

My favorite indie bookstore @FountainBookstore is still taking book orders from 10 to 2 over the phone. My order got here nice and quick and now I am all set! 🤗 Has anyone read any of these?

@MidnightBookGirl

When it feels like you‘ve been waiting forever for something and it‘s finally in your hands 😍

I can‘t wait to absorb these stories!!

#bookmail