Skin Folk | Litsy

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

so-so

Nalo Hopkinson puts her own horror and speculative takes on some well known fairy tales and folklore.

Hopkinson has such a visceral and grounded voice. The twists she put here fascinating and original. And now I need to look up some of the folklore she referenced. Her stories that worked for me, really worked for me. And even the ones I didn‘t like, I could still appreciate the skill. Definitely going to look up more of her work. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

BookmarkTavern #FairytaleReadingChallenge CW 👇🏻 1y

BookmarkTavern Money Thee, suicide attempt; Snake, pedophilia, kidnapping, attempted child SA; The Glass Bottle Trick, aftermath of murder of pregnant people; Fisherman, homophobia; Greedy Choke Puppy, infant death; A Habit of Waste, attempted assault; Precious, domestic violence 1y

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night_shift

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

The library had a lot of novellas today! I went a little overboard lol not sure where to start.. maybe just the top down?

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Booksandtea23

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

💜

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SilverShanica

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new - don‘t judge me I have a lot of books.
Join the fun if you want. This is day 275.
#bookstoread
#tbrpile
#bookstagram

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GatheringBooks

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

#MayCharacters Day 4: There is definitely a character who #Marries in one of the stories in this collection. Strange and surreal. Review is forthcoming.

Eggs, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

charl08 What's the confection in front? All looks delicious! 3y

Eggs What an eclectic-sounding collection👏🏻👏🏻 3y

GatheringBooks @charl08 it‘s chocolate crepe. Absolutely yummy-licious. 3y

45 likes3 comments

GatheringBooks

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

#WindsOfMarch Day 26: It definitely is #SpringFever as today marks the last examination of 12th grade daughter and the start of Spring Break for her! Yay! It deserves a shrimp caesar salad, onion soup, strawberry mojito for meself and the husband - and grilled cheese with pesto for teenage youngling.

Eggs

Eggs Celebration time!!! 3y

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Billypar

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

pick

"Throughout the Caribbean, under different names, you'll find stories about people who aren't what they seem. Skin gives these skin folk their human shape. When the skin comes off, their true selves emerge." I love this premise for a story collection - the skins and what's underneath varies a great deal. Some are inspired by folk tales involving mythical creatures and others have speculative or sci-fi themes. Dreamy and weird in the best way.

BarbaraBB Off topic: I finally listened to your podcast with @ReadingEnvy. You did so good! You are so insightful! I must read the El Salvador book. 3y

Cathythoughts I didn‘t realize you did a podcast with @ReadingEnvy ... I must look it up later .. looking forward to it 👍🏻 3y

ReadingEnvy @Cathythoughts tinyurl.com/ReadingEnvy212 3y

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Billypar @BarbaraBB Glad you liked it! I think you'll really enjoy the memoir. And actually, not completely off topic that you bring up @ReadingEnvy since I first heard about Hopkinson on an RE episode (Jenny, that was for The Salt Roads). 3y

Billypar @Cathythoughts It was really fun - hope you like it! 🙂 3y

ReadingEnvy @Billypar I just saw a new cover for that novel today and it made me want to buy it all over again. 3y

Suet624 This sounds wonderful! 3y

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Billypar

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

#blackoutbestsellerlist
#blackpublishingpower
I ordered two story collections from authors I've been meaning to try for some time. First order from bookshop.org too - I've heard good things about their impact on local booksellers.

Liz_M Yay Bookshop.org! 4y

Billypar @Liz_M Both have already shipped - pretty impressive speed! 4y

vivastory Bookshop.org is the best! 4y

Billypar @vivastory Skin Folk arrived yesterday - record time! 4y

39 likes4 comments

akaGingerK

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

Hopkinson is a brilliant writer. The reader is good. The editing/direction of the audio is frustrating as all get out. There are no pauses or added music/sounds between the last line of one story & the title of the next. Nor between author‘s intros & the story. Nor between present time & flashbacks.

I recommend reading this one rather than listening. #ALC

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Carolyn11215

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

so-so

This was a strange collection of short stories...sci-fi/fantasy/folklore/horror/erotica.

9 likes

Carolyn11215

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

#weeklyforecast Will finish Emily of New Moon and start/finish Skin Folk. I need to ramp up reading for Hugo nomination process so starting Ten Thousand Doors of January and The City in the Middle of the Night this week and hoping to finish at least one of those as well.

24 likes

suzisteffen

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

pick

Finished last night and will talk more about individual stories in the comments! 4.5⭐️ with a heaping dose of 😳😱😮😱 as well.

Weaponxgirl

suzisteffen OK! “A Habit of Waste” is a bit blunt what with the old body reappearing in the early minutes and the woman realizing in the end that she can eat what things she craves and just walk to work, but it does combine commentary on colonialism, racism in Toronto, poverty, capitalism, scavenging, food banks, and so much more. Honestly I thought it was going to end in a terrible or creepy way, but nope. 5y

suzisteffen “And the Lilies-Them-A-Blow” escaped me a little. Sam needs to figure out a way out of her old life? Maybe needs to kill the old Sam so the new one can emerge? I need to know the song better, and what lilies and cotton (aside from the obvious, as mentioned in the story itself) mean. 5y

suzisteffen “Whose Upward Flight I Love” was short, cool, and extremely creepy. WHERE IS THAT TREE GOING?? 5y

suzisteffen But far creepier was “Ganger (Ball Lightning),” especially the part about the cockroaches and the chocolate, not to mention the electrocution issues with the suits. Also, I feel like the story might be re-written differently today because of certain changes in our general understandings about trans folks. 5y

suzisteffen “Precious” was a bitter but strong way to end, like an espresso after dinner or something. Talk about several meanings of be careful what you wish for! 5y

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Weaponxgirl

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

The glass bottle trick.
A retelling of blue beards wife! Oh yea, I love this kind of story and it added a dark twist I felt.
I loved the spirits in this one and really wish I knew what happened next!

suzisteffen

suzisteffen Right? I WANT TO KNOOOOOOW 5y

Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen so much! Someone‘s getting murdered but who?! 5y

Cathythoughts Amazing cover 5y

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suzisteffen @Weaponxgirl REAL. Fingers crossed it‘s only Samuel and not the wife too. I have some questions about the house cleaner and gardener as well. And let‘s assume only Dude gets eaten. Is the wife going to finish school? How will she act toward her mom? 5y

Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen I forgot about them! Hell yeah! What do they know? 5y

ephemeralwaltz This sounds great. 5y

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suzisteffen

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

OK @Weaponxgirl I know you‘re super busy, so I‘m just gonna go ahead and talk about a few of the stories. The image is Tan-Tan, the Midnight Robber in Nalo Hopkinson‘s extraordinary book by that name, who stars in the short story “Tan-Tan and Dry Bone,” which is also a chapter in the novel and which I LOVE. So much about the endless demands of the always-hungry, never-satisfied patriarchy in this story! Other stories in the comments. ⬇️

suzisteffen 1. Glass Bottle Trick OHHHHH KAAAAY, this might be my fave Blackbeard retelling ever, because it addresses violence against women, colorism, how poverty and internalized (& external) sexism keep young women in virtual chains, and more. Come on, duppies! GET HIM. 5y

suzisteffen 2. Slow Cold Chick AHHHHHHH I don‘t know what to think about this one. All I could really think of was that nasty Buffy episode with the controller things in the eggs, but it wasn‘t like that - it was about owning your own desires, asking for help, accepting help, and, I think, being bi and/or poly. In other words, sexual desire isn‘t a basilisk. 😂 5y

suzisteffen 3. Fisherman WELP this one‘s just flat-out a sweet erotic short story that has basically no “Skin Folk” aspects other than the main character perhaps not dressing the way men expect her to. Also it‘s very good about sex workers. 5y

suzisteffen Also I should say that I‘m gonna try to finish this book by May 31, so I might go a bit ahead, but I‘m happy to talk about all of the stories whenever! Now I want to re-re-read

Midnight Robber

Weaponxgirl I‘m the worst buddy reader ever! Next time I‘ll look at my social engagements first! It‘s only recently I made a lot of new friends so I keep forgetting that I don‘t have as much time to read now. Please read on, I will catch up as I‘m loving the book. 5y

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suzisteffen

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

Hey @Weaponxgirl! I think it's my turn, lol. Whew, “Under Glass.“ It was intense. Was it the girl's fault? Maybe, partly. But so was it everyone else's fault ... somehow? For calling in volcanoes and winds that bring tiny pieces of glass to everyone's lungs, eyes, and more. ⬇️

suzisteffen As this says, some of the best worldbuilding - https://www.tor.com/2018/08/13/quiltbag-speculative-classics-nalo-hopkinsons-ski... - that I've read, but also, so sad and hard. If this short story says one thing, it's “Listen to old women,“ which, hell yes. 5y

Weaponxgirl This story felt so current to me. I couldn‘t stop thinking about climate change whilst reading this even though it didn‘t say anything about it directly. 5y

Weaponxgirl I think I got a bit lost in what I was following but I adored like you said the world building in the world of glass winds and really wanted to know more about it. The atmosphere in this was was great. 5y

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suzisteffen @Weaponxgirl yes! I just couldn‘t tell if I was supposed to blame the girl/all of us with cell phones and flying and not concerned enough about global warming, or if something was specific magic within that story - or who the skin folk were/was. 5y

Weaponxgirl Yes! Was it the mum and some kind of inter dimensional thing? 5y

suzisteffen @Weaponxgirl I MIGHT HAVE TO REREAD. 5y

13 likes6 comments

suzisteffen

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

Snake: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I don't tend to enjoy stories of men stalking and murdering women or girls, and this was no different; I hated it. Then things changed.

Trying not to spoil this but ... well. I still don't ever want to read it again, but in this case, the skin folk are not evil; the human is.

Weaponxgirl

suzisteffen If anyone wants to join in, we are reading and discussing the short stories in Skin Folk, by Nalo Hopkinson - which appears to be available in the US and UK on Hoopla! - one each day. We've read ... four? No, five. Next up is “Under Glass.“ 5y

suzisteffen #fantasy #folktales #Caribbean #AfroCaribbean
5y

Weaponxgirl I‘m with you on that, when I realised what was happening I felt sick but I loved the way she changed this around and played with certain tropes. 5y

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Weaponxgirl Her playing with the snakes POV in that voyeuristic way that I‘ve seen done so many times was brilliant as we actually got to see them scared. With things how they are at the moment I took a great deal of pleasure from their ending I have to say. 5y

Weaponxgirl I also loved the play on a place that has a supernatural entity in it that‘s known about. Often you get a wicker man thing going on and it‘s bad. But it seemed like the residents probably know about them and here they are protecters. Did you have any thoughts on what birds they might be? For some reason I was getting stork vibes off the lady with the sword and kept wondering about the others? They seemed even more godlike to me than in the other 5y

Weaponxgirl Stories. 5y

Weaponxgirl I‘m lost due to time zone differences and my night shifts! I will post my next one in my morning. So sorry for being rubbish at this! I will read at least two stories tonight at work and then I‘ll be back on track! 5y

suzisteffen You‘re not rubbish and there is no rush! Do your thing! Re birds, I think you‘re right about the stork, but perhaps they‘re all pigeons otherwise? Hm. 5y

14 likes8 comments

Weaponxgirl

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

Ok something to hitch meat to. I loved this one, it was so perfectly creepy and the ending wasn‘t what I expected necessarily.
I found it interesting with the spider character being referred to as a trickster as that isn‘t something I‘ve seen in folklore before and now I want to explore Jamaican folklore more!

suzisteffen

GingerAntics The spider character is referred to as a trickster in American Gods and it‘s companion, Anansi Boys. I think it comes from African folk lore. 5y

Weaponxgirl @GingerAntics thanks for the info! It‘s always interesting to me how similar and different folklore is around the world. I‘ve obviously got to do some more research in this area 5y

GingerAntics I liked the stories, but I‘ve got a serious fear of spiders so I‘ve avoided going into any of the background info on it. I did get into background info on some of the Scandinavian stuff, though. The three sisters and the two brothers that are really a goddess and a god at different parts of the day. That was cool. I love folklore from around the world. 5y

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Weaponxgirl @GingerAntics that will make looking into it further harder. Have you seen the peacock spider from one of David Attenborough program? They put it to music and it‘s kinda like watching a fancy pants spider version of Gomez Addams trying to seduce a mate. If anything is gonna make a person like them a little bit more that clip will. But obviously I won‘t force it as phobias are real! 5y

GingerAntics Just thinking of all those creepy little legs is making me squirm. I think me and my phobia will stay over here. Spiders made me cry until I was well into puberty and even the emoji is a creepy to me. I have a serious problem. 5y

Weaponxgirl @GingerAntics I get it. Sorry for that it was just one instance where I thought it was cute but I completely get why others find them creepy. 5y

GingerAntics They are the scariest creatures on the planet!!! 5y

suzisteffen SO MANY THOUGHTS About this one and so curious about Anansi and folktales and legends brought to the US and the Caribbean (and Brazil, one assumes) from the Ashanti and other people enslaved in the Americas. I thought I knew some stuff about Anansi, but I really didn't - here's a Wiki page with more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi
In this story, Anansi seems to also have some qualities of Papa Legba, the crossroads loa. ⬇️
5y

suzisteffen So I have questions about the girl being Anansi's daughter - I have not heard of his daughter before, or is it also just himself? Or is Anansi non-gendered and humans just make him, or her, so?

I have questions about what the main character will do with his ability to change things. WIll it be honored, will he need to hide it, will the power disappear after some undetermined time? I want him to get a better job!

Disappointed in his coworkers. 😡 5y

Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen I‘ll have to look at the link later as unfortunately I‘m at work tonight. But oh yeah, his coworkers were awful! It would be an interesting gift to have, I imagine it could get very depressing seeing things as they really are. 5y

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suzisteffen

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

OK @Weaponxgirl , I just finished “Money Thee” & thought I‘d put a pic of the river up. I know it‘s late where you are but if you‘re awake, feel free to say anything about the second story in Nalo Hopkinson‘s Skin Folk!
I‘m thinking about who parents whom, the ways Canada treats Jamaicans, stories about money, not learning from stories, silkies, and the way dry winter sucks life from skin while water seems to give it back. Oh, and grief. Tag!

Weaponxgirl Hello, I didn‘t manage to get to this story today. So sorry! I run a book club and that took up my time today. I‘ll get on both stories tomorrow if that‘s ok with you? 5y

suzisteffen @Weaponxgirl No worries! Yay book club!! 5y

Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen thankyou! Once I‘ve caught up with Litsy and put my laundry on the first thing I‘m gonna do is read those stories! 5y

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suzisteffen @Weaponxgirl super! I read the third one so I‘d be prepared. 😉 5y

Weaponxgirl Ok, I. Super late now. Night shifts messed me up! 5y

Weaponxgirl I loved this story, I always think of water as being linked to deep emotions and so the dream scene where she finds her brother was so powerful to me. Floods of emotions her mother trying to teach her to swim and her learning to dive deep and confront what most scares her. Yes the silkies comparison is perfect and goes with the title skinfolk. You aren‘t quite what you think you are. 5y

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Weaponxgirl

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

Finished the first story today riding the red.
I‘ve read so many interpretations of red riding hood and the wolf where it‘s linked to sexuality and periods.
I liked this, I always like the dark kind of storytelling of fairytales.
I‘m not sure this particular story added more to the interpretations I‘ve already read of this but if it‘s a taste of the feel of stories to come I think I will love it.
What did you think?

suzisteffen

suzisteffen I was interested in the way she hinted at the grandmother being the skin folk! That maybe the wolf is the same as the person, that maybe when one rides the red, one has desire, one enjoys sex - one masturbated, perhaps! But what does this wolf/grandmother want with her own granddaughter? (More below) 5y

suzisteffen Thank you, btw! 5y

Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen I liked that too, I think as part as a collection it will add up to a great whole. 5y

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suzisteffen This sentence had my own ears prick up: “Just as well they went home early that time, her and the little one.” Just as well??? BECAUSE? 🐺 5y

Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen I missed that particular bit! That makes so much sense though. 5y

Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen or I didn‘t make that connection 5y

suzisteffen @Weaponxgirl Or maybe I'm just a little too obsessive - I just thought ... WAIT A SECOND. Partly that's because in my copy, the author's note discussion of “Skin folk“ is right at the beginning of “Riding the Red.“ Shoot, the author and I follow each other on Twitter - I MIGHT ASK HER. LOL. 5y

Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen mine had that too but I thought the wolf was the skin walker and she was, well.....riding him 5y

suzisteffen @Weaponxgirl yes, but “riding” has several senses here, I think, including (I‘m using pluralism.org here) spirits riding or mounting people, particularly ppl devoted to that spirit. I‘m thinking about Hopkinson‘s other books that I‘ve read - Midnight Robber and Brown Girl in the Ring - that really emphasize that. I love love LOVE

Brown Girl in the Ring

Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen I haven‘t read anything else by her yet. When you said it I saw it! I obviously only have a dirty mind when left to my own devices. 5y

suzisteffen @Weaponxgirl oh no, the reading encourages that too! It‘s wonderfully complex for a like 5-page story. 5y

Bertha_Mason That's one of my favorite horror short story collections! I reread it every October. 5y

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suzisteffen

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

OK @Weaponxgirl ! Shall we begin? On Monday, May 20, we read “Riding the Red”? (It‘s still the 19th for me, but I can wait!)

Weaponxgirl I‘m in! It‘s only just the 20th here for me and I‘m awake stupidly early 5y

Weaponxgirl Just downloaded it and I‘m ready to go! 5y

suzisteffen @Weaponxgirl OK, ugh that you‘re up so early! How about you post and tag me when you‘ve read it & I‘ll jump in? Or shall we do it all on this post? 🤔🤔🤔 5y

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Weaponxgirl Tbf I went to bed stupidly early as I was kinda sleep deprived for the last few days so only myself to blame. I‘m happy with either, dyo wanna take it in turns to post the stories? 5y

suzisteffen @Weaponxgirl sure! You first. 😉 5y

Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen 😆 will do! 5y

Bibliogeekery Loved this book! 5y

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Kryckett

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

It has been a slow reading year for me. Happy to hit the goal, with time to spare. Now I can feel like an over-achiever for the next 23 days!

15 likes

CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian

Skin Folk | Nalo Hopkinson

#Recommendsday! This collection of fantasy / science fiction / fairy tale short stories is one of my all-time favourite books. Nalo Hopkinson has an incredible imagination and amazing versatility. She goes from scary post-apocalyptic to erotic lesbian story set in a brothel to sci fi futures of dangerous sex toys and body swapping without skipping a beat. If you're a fan of Octavia Butler, you must read this! #DiverseBooks

UrsulaMonarch Stacked! 😊 6y

20 likes7 stack adds1 comment

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