Ep. 40: Lit Recs: Pride Month

Join Amanda and Kelsey as they explore the vibrant world of LGBTQ+ literature, featuring discussions on books such as 'Gideon the Ninth' and 'Charm Offensive'. Dive into insightful conversations about representation, mental health, and the power of diverse storytelling in this special Pride Month episode!

00:00 Welcome to Lit Vibes Only

00:27 Follow Us on Social Media

01:06 BookTok Tea w/ Kelsey

12:30 Celebrating Pride Month

14:50 The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz

22:13 Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

31:14 Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

37:05 Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

45:15 Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts

Follow us on TikTok & Youtube @litvibesonlypodcast and on Instagram @litvibesonly_podcast. You can also email us at litvibesonlypodcast@gmail.com We'd love to hear from you!

See you on Mondays!

Transcript

Ep. 40: Lit Recs: Pride Month

[00:00:00] Amanda: Welcome to Lit Fives only where we lit the shit out of books we love and hate. I'm Amanda, the insightful, thrill seeker and historical fiction nerd. 

[00:00:14] Kelsey: I'm Kelsey, the unhinged, diehard, romantic, and fantasy reader. Welcome to Lit Vibes Only. Welcome first off business. We gotta get down to business, taking care of business.

[00:00:27] Kelsey: Find us on socials on Instagram. At Lit Vibes only podcast and on TikTok at Lit Vibes only podcast where we continue to lit the shit outta books. We love it, hate it, and make fun content for you all. We have fun over there. Come check us out. How much fun? And it helps get our podcasts like out there to people other than, you know, our friends and family.

[00:00:56] Amanda: A larger, or my case therapist, my, I dunno if my therapist [00:01:00] listens. I've told her about it. She knows it's out there. Oh, funny. 

[00:01:02] Kelsey: And then. Also don't forget. Mm-hmm. If you enjoy this podcast, the number one thing that you can do for us besides like recommending to friends and family or your circle is rating and reviewing so that other people across the world can hear and listen and find us.

[00:01:22] Kelsey: So please, please, please go write and review our podcast on Spotify or Apple. Mm-hmm. Those are two great places to do that. We appreciate it. Thank you very much. 

[00:01:33] Amanda: Thank you. Yes. Take a moment. Reflect, have you done this? Yeah. Have you done one good deed today? If not, this could be your one deed.

[00:01:40] Amanda: This is it. This is it. And it takes like, takes two seconds. 

[00:01:44] Kelsey: Yes. I was gonna say like two minutes, but 

[00:01:47] Amanda: Well, if you're just rating two seconds if you're rating and reviewing two minutes. Really? Yeah. But we'd love for you to do both. Both are great, but whatever either is great as well. We'll take anything.

[00:01:58] Amanda: I'm gonna see where we're at [00:02:00]

[00:02:00] Kelsey: in terms of like ratings, like how many ratings and things do we have?

[00:02:04] Amanda: On. Yeah, I never checked the ratings. I check to see if folks have reviewed, 

[00:02:10] Kelsey: we still only have 19 ratings on Spotify. On Spotify. Mm-hmm. Which is not a lot. And then, yeah, which is, and then 

[00:02:19] Amanda: is crazy.

[00:02:19] Amanda: 'cause we have over 1000 downloads. We know like more than 19 people have heard this. Oh 

[00:02:25] Kelsey: yes, for sure, for sure. Let me see. On Apple. Apple was less the last time I checked. 

[00:02:33] Amanda: I think it might still be less, which is interesting 'cause more people listen on Apple than on Spotify. 

[00:02:39] Kelsey: Oh, interesting. Mm-hmm. The majority of listeners are like, oh, okay.

[00:02:43] Kelsey: Yep. We're still only at four ratings. Uhoh. So go guys. Guys. It guys. You could do it. 

[00:02:50] Amanda: You could be such a pi. You could be a trailblazer. A true pioneer, a trendsetter, OG of the pod. An OG reviewer. Don't you want, I feel you know, I feel [00:03:00] like we did the sticker thing in , that got the ball rolling to some degree.

[00:03:02] Amanda: Yes, but I don't know if it was enough. 

[00:03:04] Kelsey: Mm-hmm. But clearly. 

[00:03:07] Amanda: Clearly not, but we promise guys, it really takes like two seconds and it is, it doesn't take very long. Yeah. And then we can stop doing this at the beginning of every episode. Like, ah, they'll stop bothering us. I don't think we would ever though.

[00:03:20] Amanda: No, no, we wouldn't. We always want you to. It's pretty standard for most podcasts to be like, and by the way, if you haven't 

[00:03:25] Kelsey: remember to rate review, 

[00:03:28] Amanda: maybe if we said it like that, people would 

[00:03:31] Kelsey: please.

[00:03:35] Amanda: Okay. You've got some book talk, maybe not t, but book talk. Yes. I dunno how you would describe it. Drama 

[00:03:41] Kelsey: esque. So it was just really one person who was stating an opinion, ah, tell us. And an annoyance about some of. The recent book talk videos that she has seen. Okay, so this comes from Eden. Giannis is actually the person that oh [00:04:00] God, excuse 

[00:04:00] Amanda: me.

[00:04:01] Amanda: Bless you. Kelsey's having another sneezing fit. It is that time of year 

[00:04:05] Kelsey: y'all. Oh gosh. My allergies have been so bad. I'm sorry. So, she actually came up last episode, episode because she wrote a positive, a five star review for Sunrise and the Reaping. But her, one of her latest videos, she's ranting about people doing reviews on book talk, and , she said.

[00:04:27] Kelsey: If you're doing a review, like actually do a review. Don't just say, oh my God, I loved it. It was great, actually. Tell us why you did. Yeah. But on the other part of it, she was saying, if you don't like a book, like you really need to go into why you didn't like that book. Mm-hmm. So that people understand and can see.

[00:04:48] Kelsey: Whether or not they would agree and not just , take it from your word. Mm-hmm. Which, she said she knows that she has followers who say, if you didn't like a book, I'm not reading it. So. If, yeah, [00:05:00] people have that much influence. It is our responsibility to share our actual reviews and thoughts about a book rather than just the feelings of like how you're Yeah.

[00:05:09] Kelsey: How you're feeling essentially. 

[00:05:11] Amanda: This is so great because, so for those of you who don't know, I'm a rhetoric teacher and rhetoric is all about, you know, being persuasive and crafting arguments and backing things up. And so I do this activity with my seventh graders called, one's gotta go each day. I give them four.

[00:05:28] Amanda: Things for items in a category, right? It could be like movie genres or types of breakfast foods and they have to get rid of one of them. Okay? But they can't use lazy language. So they can't be like, I don't like this 'cause it sucks, or I don't like this 'cause it's bad, or I don't like this 'cause it's gross.

[00:05:43] Amanda: I'm like, that is not a reason. You need to tell me specifically, provide criteria, provide evidence and reasoning as to why. And so I'm teaching them that skill. Yeah. And it sounds like that's exactly what she's talking about, . Yes. Getting on and being like, this book sucks. I hated it. Don't read it.

[00:05:57] Amanda: I'm like, okay, but why? Because the things that you hated about [00:06:00] it. Mm-hmm. I might actually really enjoy depending on what my preferences are. So give me the information so I can make an informed choice versus like this book, I'm so obsessed. It's so great. It's so amazing. Okay. Bye. Yes. I, I, 1000% agree with her.

[00:06:16] Amanda: Yeah, because it, it drives me crazy. 

[00:06:20] Kelsey: I could get like, and she referenced this too, but if you're doing a review review, that makes sense. To like tell people why. Mm-hmm. That's great. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But then of course we have these trends and things that we do that kind of do like a yay or nay sometimes.

[00:06:36] Kelsey: Yeah. Or yes, no, maybes. Yeah, that's fine. Which makes sense. Like, those are part of the trends and part of like what you do. But if you're doing an actual review. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And also ties into our podcast too, because we're not just sitting here we argue, but then we also say why exactly.

[00:06:55] Kelsey: And it literally is just our preference and there's nothing like good or [00:07:00] bad about our preferences. Mm-hmm. It is literally just our opinion and you could base your opinion. Off of what we've actually said, not because we're just like, oh my God, I love that. 

[00:07:11] Amanda: Right. And like, and also in doing this, like we figured out like what our reading preferences are.

[00:07:16] Amanda: Like, yes, we know that I really value or prioritize well crafted sentences in beautiful writing. Right. You know, like that we all, we all know at this point, right? And for Kelsey, it's like, no, I'm more interested in maybe like character development or the story. It's all for the connection between the, you know, and so I think all of those things.

[00:07:34] Amanda: If you are a book talker, gives your audience a better sense of who you are as a reader. Yeah, too. Mm-hmm. And like. What brings you joy and what doesn't. Yeah. And so it's also just like getting, giving people more of an insight into like Yeah. Who you are and that making that connection more meaningful 

[00:07:50] Kelsey: Back a while ago another popular book, talker, Janna, she.

[00:07:56] Kelsey: Is a romance girly, right? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And if you had followed her [00:08:00] at all, you would know that she's a romance girly. Mm-hmm. And then she picked up six of crows and she hated it because I don't think there's a lot of romance in it. Mm-hmm. And she specifically is like, there's no romance in it. And then people are are like yeah.

[00:08:13] Kelsey: But she didn't know that going into it. Mm-hmm. Like she got all this hate because she didn't like it because there was a romance in it. Yeah. But like, that is her preference. Like Yeah, who cares? That's what she's looking fors. Yeah. Yes. And if. This book doesn't have that in it. Yeah, she's probably not gonna like it.

[00:08:29] Kelsey: Yeah, and that's okay that you like it. You know, like 

[00:08:32] Amanda: Exactly. It's like me smu, like I avoid books with smut. It's like, not for me. And so like, unless I make you read them, unless Kelsey makes me read it. And so yeah, I would likely be less inclined to respond positively, right, to a book that's chock full of smut if that's not something I personally prefer.

[00:08:49] Amanda: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Doesn't mean it's a bad book. Right. It's just not for me. But yet also personally, and obviously this is why we're doing the podcast, like I think it's fun to talk about it. Like it's fun to talk about the [00:09:00] reasons why you do or don't like something. Yes. And to dive into that reasoning, into that criteria that you use.

[00:09:04] Amanda: It's so interesting. I would like not wanna just sit here and be like, yeah, this sucks. I totally agree. 

[00:09:11] Kelsey: I totally agree with you. 

[00:09:14] Amanda: It's also just like a good thought exercise and it forces you to consider other people's opinions and why they might think that way and stuff outside of your own. Like there's just so many, so many reasons, so many minutes.

[00:09:24] Amanda: And also listeners, this is like a little plug for you. This is why you should also talk to us. Like we wanna know what you like and what your preferences are. Yeah. Like what your priorities are when it comes to reading. And , I love that, what your criteria is . Mm-hmm. We love that so much and it tells us so much about who's in our community and yeah, just a way to connect reader to reader.

[00:09:45] Kelsey: So, yeah. Yeah. And this episode is all about lit Rex. Mm-hmm. And so you get to see some insight into what Amanda and I prefer. Mm-hmm. And like the books that we recommend. Mm-hmm. And so yeah, it's just another [00:10:00] great way to see. Us in action. 

[00:10:02] Amanda: Yeah. And to step outside of your comfort zone, right? Mm-hmm. And try something different, something something new.

[00:10:07] Amanda: Because that's the other thing. It's like, yes, we all have preferences and those are great, and by all means read things you enjoy, but I think it's always important to be willing to grow and to expand. Expand, right? Mm-hmm. . Your ways of thinking, your perspectives. And so , yes, find your niche and read it, but also don't just stay there.

[00:10:23] Amanda: See if there are other things out there. 'cause like you might find a new love, right? The fact that I'm like now like, yay, aar, like I never in a million years would've thought. I knew it. 

[00:10:33] Kelsey: I knew it. 

[00:10:34] Amanda: You did not you. Yes, I did. 

[00:10:36] Kelsey: Are you kidding me? You thought I told you from the fricking beginning. You thought I, you would love the third book.

[00:10:42] Kelsey: Yes. And you did 

[00:10:44] Amanda: you? Yes. But you, I feel like thinking that I would like get, I don't know if you thought I would get there. I think you knew that I wasn't gonna like the first one and maybe not the second one either. Oh, I, yep. 

[00:10:55] Kelsey: Yeah, no, I totally knew this, Amanda. Okay. All right. Go. I have to go back and [00:11:00] listen to, listen to our episode.

[00:11:02] Amanda: I predicted this. I feel like you thought I wouldn't like it. That I wouldn't like aar because of the smut and the romance and like. You did say that she was a good writer? Yes. That I would like that. Which she is. Yes. Yeah. 

[00:11:14] Kelsey: Yes. 

[00:11:14] Amanda: Okay. No, I predicted this, Amanda, and I knew 

[00:11:17] Kelsey: the third book was gonna be your favorite.

[00:11:19] Amanda: Yeah, you did. I do remember you saying that. Like if I got to the third book that I would like, and you also said, which I mean I haven't read it yet, that you think I'm gonna like. NESTER'S book which I think 

[00:11:27] Kelsey: you're gonna like NESTER'S character. Oh, I don't know that you're like nester's book, but her character for sure.

[00:11:33] Kelsey: Okay. And the relationship she builds. There's just a lot of smut in Nester's book. Yeah. So you're not gonna like that part, but I think you will like, I think you'll even like Cassian. Like, yeah. Okay. Okay. You just really won't like the smut. 

[00:11:48] Amanda: Well, for folks who are, if you're listening and you are an AAR fan, we will be dropping our AKA war episode at the end of this month, at the end of June, because June has five Monday.

[00:11:58] Amanda: So we've got a bonus [00:12:00] Luted or quit episode for you. I'm bonus. So be sure to come back for that one because we have a lot to, I, I'll have a lot to say. For sure. I'm so excited. 

[00:12:07] Kelsey: I might need to reread it. So much happens in that book. So I mean, 

[00:12:11] Amanda: we're recording that episode really soon. So wait, when is it, when are we recording?

[00:12:15] Amanda: It's, we're recording like next week, I think. Remember we're doing a weekday recording after work. Oh God. We, I'll have to double check. I don't my calendar 700 pages. 

[00:12:24] Kelsey: Oh God, I can't remember what day I told you. We're gonna have to talk. 

[00:12:27] Amanda: Okay. We'll chat. We'll chat after. Yeah. But refocusing, we are here today celebrating Pride Month.

[00:12:34] Amanda: It is June, and as you know, we are celebrating different heritage heritages, I can never say that word. Different identities each month. Yes. And drawing your attention to amazing books and amazing authors that celebrate and focus on that particular thing. So, as always a little bit about this month, if you're not aware of its origins.

[00:12:54] Amanda: The reason why Pride Month is celebrated in June is because it's specifically meant to commemorate the [00:13:00] Stonewall riots, which started in June, the end of June in 1969, so June 28th. So that's why this month in particular, was chosen and it was these riots. And if you're not familiar with the Stonewall riots,

[00:13:12] Amanda: the, police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City. And that was a place where a lot of folks in the LGBTQ plus community gathered. And it was a really pivotal moment, a really huge moment in the lgbtq plus rights movement. So then the following year in 1970, that's when the first pride marches were held on that day, on June 28th to mark the anniversary.

[00:13:34] Amanda: Of the Stonewall riots and then as with a lot of these months, right, it started off as a day or a week, and then it evolved into Yep. A month long celebration, which is what we have mm-hmm. Today. And so yeah, this month is dedicated to celebrating. LGBTQ plus pride and commemorating all of the many contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture and community.

[00:13:58] Amanda: If you've been following our podcast [00:14:00] from the beginning, from our origins last September, you'll know that October is LGBTQ plus heritage month. And so, those are two. They're connected, obviously, but they're two different things. So if you're like, wait, we already did Pride Month. I remember there being an episode back in October, Uhhuh.

[00:14:15] Amanda: June is Pride month, October is LGBTQ plus Heritage Month, and that's really focusing on like the history of the LGBTQ plus community. So just wanted to clarify that for folks. If you're like, wait a minute, this sounds familiar. We 

[00:14:27] Kelsey: might have to. Re-envision it after a year we will. And figure out what we're gonna do.

[00:14:32] Kelsey: Yeah. And we talked that too. Create our own heritage months 

[00:14:36] Amanda: or just like maybe identities that don't have a month dedicated to it, that can go under the radar otherwise. Mm-hmm. So that's what we're doing here today. We're so excited. Kelsey and I both have two great books for you each. And so Kelsey, you can kick things off.

[00:14:50] Kelsey: All right, so my first book and author that I am speaking to is The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero, LA [00:15:00] Cruz. She is from Venezuela. And it was so interesting, like it's always interesting actually. Mm-hmm. Diving into the author's story and. Understanding who they are and where they came from.

[00:15:13] Kelsey: Mm-hmm. So Gabriela actually she has a degree in chemical engineering. What? Crazy. I know. It's like wild. I was like, okay. Yeah, Marty. So that's really cool about her. I don't know if she continues to practice. You know, chemical engineering in her day-to day life 

[00:15:34] Amanda: practice it. 

[00:15:38] Kelsey: But she's also an artist.

[00:15:41] Amanda: Oh my gosh. And of 

[00:15:41] Kelsey: course, an author. Wow. And she illustrates her own characters. Like if you go to her website, you can see her illustrations of her characters. They're so good. That's what and then sometimes she will even do book covers for people. Mm-hmm. And I think she's. Done her own, but I'm not [00:16:00] Oh, a hundred percent positive on that.

[00:16:02] Kelsey: Okay. But she has done other book covers before. Okay. So the Sun in the Void was her debut novel, and so she only has this one out currently. Okay. Oh, one thing I also wanted to say, she has her own like clothing accessory and stationary brand called Moons Born. I know, my gosh. Literally, what does this woman 

[00:16:24] Amanda: not do?

[00:16:26] Kelsey: It's wild. So she's extremely talented. Makes clothing as well, like wild. But again, getting into the sun in the void. It was released in 2023. And that was her debut novel. And the second. Book in the series and I'm not sure how many books there are gonna be in the series. Mm-hmm. If she like means to have three or if it's just a duology, I'm not positive.

[00:16:54] Kelsey: That one releases this October actually, so I might have you read this one. [00:17:00] Okay. So we'll see. It is more ya leaning. But it is pretty, like, it has some trigger warnings, which I'll get to later. Mm-hmm. You can find Gabriella on TikTok and Instagram at Gabriella Romero la Cruz. And I think she goes by Gabby, by her, like handle.

[00:17:19] Kelsey: She also has a discord where she shares her work and illustrations. Mm-hmm. So that's fun. And her first book, her debut novel is translated into Spanish and Italian. 

[00:17:33] Amanda: Oh, nice. All right. And, 

[00:17:34] Kelsey: This is funny because I, I hadn't heard of this because you normally hear New York Times bestseller, right?

[00:17:40] Kelsey: Mm-hmm. Yeah. But she is a number one Sunday Times bestselling author. 

[00:17:44] Amanda: Okay. Congratulations Gabby. 

[00:17:46] Kelsey: Yeah, it's great. So getting into the sun and the void. It is 500 pages and only has a three point 11 rating on good rates, which I was surprised about. Oh 

[00:17:59] Amanda: yeah. It's kind of [00:18:00] low.

[00:18:00] Kelsey: Yeah, it's like lower.

[00:18:01] Kelsey: But I. Coming back to the premise of it. Mm-hmm. It is about like inner species romances. Okay. And also like inner racial romances. 

[00:18:14] Amanda: Okay. 

[00:18:14] Kelsey: And then also has a sic romance, which is why I'm highlighting it mm-hmm. Today, and has two main female characters that she follows. Two different like, storylines.

[00:18:27] Kelsey: Okay. And the first character is Rena, and she is, and I don't know how to pronounce this well, but she is this species called the NN Israel n Nal. N are you in the document? I am, I'm looking at it. So she's half. That and human. Okay. So the one thing I really did not like about this book, it's so funny, it's just like a random thing, but she has a tail.

[00:18:57] Kelsey: Oh. Because, so she is a different [00:19:00] species. Okay. And that is the marker of how, you know someone is this species. Okay. Is they have a tail. Okay. Okay. Alright. The book starts off with her traveling to find her grandmother who lives in a different area because her family has passed.

[00:19:15] Kelsey: Her father passed recently and she's all alone. And her grandmother was the. Only family member that was still living that she knew of. And so she travels to, or her grandmother and then encounters some dangerous beings in the forest while she's traveling. And,, this kind of injury typically is not possible to survive.

[00:19:36] Kelsey: People don't survive this type of injury. And her grandmother finds her and gives her essentially a new heart. But then, oh, because, yeah, it's wild. Because of this, she has to live off of her grandmother's power for the rest of her life. Okay. So she is magically. Intertwined with her grandmother for life at this point.[00:20:00]

[00:20:00] Kelsey: Okay. And so that is the start of Rena's story. And then the other main female character is Eva. And she is an illegitimate child who has magic, but magic is strictly. Prohibited in her part of the world. Mm-hmm. And as seen as like very, very bad. Like witches are seen as like really a horrible part of society or something along those lines.

[00:20:32] Kelsey: And so she's not allowed to practice magic, but she still does. And she hides it from, from folks. And so both of these characters are kind of considered to be the black sheep of their families and of their society and as a whole. And so the story is about them embracing like their true selves.

[00:20:51] Kelsey: Mm-hmm. With all of the things kind of in the background, like the lore, the Venezuelan lore, and, it's based off of like [00:21:00] Venezuelan geography. Mm-hmm. So, you know, some parts of it is like deserty and some parts of it is like forest. Mm-hmm. Based off of Gabriela's.

[00:21:09] Kelsey: Roots. Mm-hmm. And so, yeah, it has a mixture of creatures and species and again, like I said, it's based on Venezuelan folklore and it has a complex magic system that I didn't always understand. But, that's all right. It's a fantasy. Mm-hmm. And some of those trigger warnings that I mentioned earlier include kidnapping mentions of rape human sacrifice even.

[00:21:33] Kelsey: Oh, wow. And dimensions of infertility. Okay. Yeah, no, it is. It, it's a pretty good book. And has all the things. So yeah. If that is your vibe, go check out The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero, LA Cruz. 

[00:21:51] Amanda: Excellent. Thank you. That sounds fascinating. I think when I hear fantasy and then I hear complex magic system, I'm like, Nope.

[00:21:57] Amanda: No, thank you. This sounds like too much work, [00:22:00] but it does sound like a fascinating premise for sure. It makes me think a little bit of Louis Stone just because that also has a connection to South American lore. But also incorporating magic as well. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Great. Okay, thanks. So, my first book, you have heard me mention this on this podcast the whole time.

[00:22:18] Amanda: Yes. And it will be a book that Kelsey very begrudgingly will be reading at some point, but it's a fantasy book. So it's kind of interesting that I'm recommending a fantasy, but only reason I don't want to read it, the cover. Just close your eyes. Just close your eyes and listen. Listen, listen to you. But 

[00:22:37] Kelsey: then if I, I close my eyes and I'm just picturing the 

[00:22:40] Amanda: cover.

[00:22:41] Amanda: I'm gonna have to find an alternate cover for this one. There's gotta be another edition of it that's got a different cover. Gotta be. But it's Gideon the Ninth by Tamson Muir. I hope I'm pronouncing her last name, Wright. I meant to look it up. And then I forgot. So Tams and Muir she is actually a New Zealander.

[00:22:56] Amanda: She's a Kiwi. She was born in Australia, but raised in New [00:23:00] Zealand, and she primarily focuses on writing fantasy sci-fi and horror, which are three genres that I do not normally read. And you're getting into 

[00:23:09] Kelsey: horror though, recently. 

[00:23:10] Amanda: I'm getting into horror, like supernatural thrillers for sure. And enjoying myself actually quite a lot.

[00:23:15] Amanda: But she, this book, which we'll get to later by getting that kind of incorporates all three of those genres to, to differing degrees, which is cool. Mm. She is the bestselling author of the Locked Tomb series. That's what she's known for. And Getting the ninth is the first book in that series. Oh, okay.

[00:23:31] Amanda: And she. Has her degree in education, which was like, yay. Education. You know, Kelsey and I are both educators, so that was fun to learn. Uhhuh and she currently has published three books, A Novella and several short stories, and there is a fourth book that she's currently working on that will be the fourth book in this L tomb series that she's so well known for.

[00:23:53] Amanda: She has won. So many words and been nominated for so many words, so I'm only gonna highlight a couple [00:24:00] here. So she has won the Locus Award for Best first novel. And the Crawford Award. And then she's been nominated for a bunch of awards, including the Nebula Award for best novel the World Fantasy Award for both the short fiction and for novel, the Hugo Award for best novel and the audio award for fantasy.

[00:24:19] Amanda: Mm. So folks really like her stuff and she's, I feel like pretty. Well known within that world, if that's okay. These are genres that you read? Mm-hmm. She currently lives and works in Oxford, uk. And I found this really interesting. So she is married. To a man Matt Hostey, but according to her, the relationship is platonic and she herself identifies as a lesbian.

[00:24:43] Amanda: So I, I just, I have so many questions and would love to know a little, I thought you were gonna 

[00:24:47] Kelsey: say asexual, and I was like, that would make sense, but how does 

[00:24:50] Amanda: this make sense? Yeah. So I was like, wouldn't you. Yeah. So I don't know the story of the relationship. Yeah. Or, or that arrangement. It's definitely unique, but yeah, would certainly love to learn more [00:25:00] about that.

[00:25:00] Amanda: But I was like, oh, that's fascinating. So, this book, Gideon the Ninth was published in 2019. I. And like I said, is the first novel in this locked tomb series. It also, you know, got so many words and so many nominations. Amazon actually selected it as the best science fiction and fancy book of the year in 2019, the year that it came out.

[00:25:24] Amanda: It was the winner again, of the Locus Award for Best First novel. And then on Good Reads, it was nominated both for reader's favorite science fiction and reader's favorite debut novel. It has a 4.2 Good Reads rating, so pretty high and is 448 pages. So very well reviewed. Very, very popular. Yeah, I had never heard of it.

[00:25:46] Amanda: Again, I don't read a lot of fantasy. This was actually recommended to me by one of my colleagues she loves this book and I was very much on the fence when she was giving me like the, the rundown of what the premise was. I'm like, I don't know what this is for me, but she was so [00:26:00] enthusiastic, so just like over the moon about this book, I was like, if she's this excited, there's gotta be something here.

[00:26:07] Amanda: So. The setting for this book, essentially, just to give you some context, and again, no spoilers in this episode, but yeah, I wanna 

[00:26:13] Kelsey: know, 

[00:26:14] Amanda: It takes place in this star system called Dominican. And so there's nine planets in this star system and every. Planet has its own house, and each house practices its own form of necromancy.

[00:26:26] Amanda: And necromancy is, I call it death magic, right? It's when you're communicating with the dead, okay? And communicating with spirits. And that's like involved in how you produce your magic and use your magic. And all nine planets, all nine houses are ruled by this. Immortal, kind of all powerful necromancer called the emperor.

[00:26:44] Amanda: And he essentially in this world, kind of functions as like a, as a God, right? He's kind of the God , of these end planets. So everyone's like, oh, the emperor. So at the start of this story, the emperor has basically asked each house to send their heir, right? So the air to [00:27:00] the. Kind of quote unquote throne of that house and their bodyguard.

[00:27:04] Amanda: And in this book, they're called Cavaliers. And so they're supposed to go to the first house on the Emperors Planet and essentially go through a series of trials. You know, we love trials to become liked and essentially a ter and again, I, I'm hoping I'm pronouncing these terms correctly. Lector is an immortal ne rimer who basically is going to spend their life serving and protecting the emperor.

[00:27:25] Amanda: And it's like a very. Prestigious position, like folks want to, to be a elector. Okay, so essentially this story tells the story of Gideon Nav. She's 18 years old and she lives in the ninth house, and she's pretty much there against her Will. She basically is an indentured servant, and the ninth house is essentially a death cult, and they're in charge of protecting or keeping guard over this locked tomb, which supposedly contains this incredibly deadly enemy that will harm the emperor if it gets.

[00:27:58] Amanda: Loose. So that's where [00:28:00] she lives. That's kind of her backstory. She hates her life in the ninth house. She's always trying to escape and in particular mm-hmm. She hates the heir to the ninth house. Who is Harold Hark? Nemus. Like they're sworn enemies, cannot stand each other. That name I know Harold Hark, nemesis as great.

[00:28:18] Amanda: Great. I think Jimmy, she mainly goes by Harrow, but so through a series of events which I won't tell you here, but it, it doesn't spoil anything basically. Gideon becomes Harold Harks Cavalier, her bodyguard. And so they then go to the first house together to go through these trials. Because this is a pride month and this is a Pride month recommendation.

[00:28:39] Amanda: You've probably probably already guessed that a relationship forms between Gideon and Harre, which is a little bit of a spoiler because you don't necessarily see that coming. Oh, because one of the tropes is enemy SLRs in this. Oh, I could've seen that in this novel. So yeah, so they end up, you know, falling for each other.

[00:28:56] Amanda: And some other themes in the book you know, there's, there's themes of self-sacrifice, [00:29:00] the obligations of duty, and you find out a little bit more about Harrow and what it kind of means to be the heir and all of that. Yeah. Entails you know, the redeeming power of love. And also a lot of information about necromancy, which, you know, interesting I didn't know a lot about.

[00:29:17] Amanda: That's not necessarily an area of interest of mine. Yeah. I will say this about this book as a non fantasy reader, you know, there's a lot to keep track of. So it's, again, it's one of those fantasy books where you have like nine houses and they all have their cast of characters and they all have their different magic in the magic system, I'm just like, oh my God.

[00:29:35] Amanda: But I don't mind 

[00:29:36] Kelsey: that. But yeah, you'll love that. You'll love that. Why did you love this 

[00:29:41] Amanda: book? I liked it because of Gideon. She is a fricking fantastic character and you know me. I love a good character. Yeah. I just enjoyed spending time with her. She is, tells it like it is. She's a straight shooter. She is.

[00:29:55] Amanda: Kind of fearless in a lot of ways. She's very much an underdog. [00:30:00] And so I, and I, I really loved watching the relationship develop between Gideon and Harrow. Okay. So that's what got me, because , again, I was like halfway through the book, I'm like, Ooh, this is, ugh. I feel like I'm having to use my brain too much to keep track of everything.

[00:30:13] Amanda: But ultimately I was very much into the adventure. I was very much into the trials, discovering there's some mysteries. That are uncovered, you're like, Ooh, okay, I like that. And the ending is gonna get you. So that's all I will say. Oh, man. But yeah, I think honestly, Kelsey, I, I dunno if you're gonna like the Neri aspect, maybe you'll find it creepy, but yeah, I might, I think you will like the book overall.

[00:30:36] Amanda: That's my, that is my prediction. So that's my first book. 

[00:30:41] Kelsey: Alright, thank you Amanda. That sounds like. The cover, so 

[00:30:48] Amanda: Yeah, it does. Okay. Are you like more or less excited to read it now that I've given you more information? 

[00:30:53] Kelsey: Like you said, I am less excited about the necromancy stuff, but I mm-hmm. Am more excited about like the [00:31:00] nine houses mm-hmm.

[00:31:01] Kelsey: And then the trials. Okay. Yeah, I figured so I could see myself getting into that, but, mm-hmm. I just have to like open the cover and stop looking at it. Exactly, exactly. Okay. Alright. Moving on to my second recommendation. Now, this one I have not yet read. Okay. I remember the last, the last oh my gosh, month.

[00:31:25] Kelsey: Mm-hmm. I recommended a book by Helen Wong. Mm-hmm. The kiss quotient. Mm-hmm. And I did end up reading that one. It was really cute. I liked it. And so that's always nice when you're like. Oh, I did like it. That's good. And I ended up reading, not, I recommended it and I, I ended up reading another Helen Wong book, oh.

[00:31:46] Kelsey: Like yesterday, like all, all day yesterday. Whoa. And I finished it. . I actually think I liked that one more than the other one. But yeah, Helen Wong, great author. Awesome. So the author I'm highlighting [00:32:00] today is Allison Cochran and her book Charm Offensive. 

[00:32:06] Amanda: Mm. 

[00:32:06] Kelsey: And so , couple interesting things about.

[00:32:10] Kelsey: Allison is that she's one in the Pacific Northwest. She lives outside of Portland, Oregon. Love it. And two, she is a former educator. Look at 

[00:32:19] Amanda: those. There's so many education connections today. I love it. 

[00:32:22] Kelsey: So she was a high school English teacher, so very much in our world. Oh yeah. That's so cool. She currently has three published books and likes to flaunt that she writes well.

[00:32:36] Kelsey: She first, she writes queer stories. Mm-hmm. But likes to love, oh my gosh. Likes to write really messy love stories. Mm-hmm. So people are people in these books. 

[00:32:48] Amanda: Yeah. Love it. Like 

[00:32:49] Kelsey: normal people. Yeah. Which is great. She also often highlights like. Issues around mental health and also neurodiverse characters.

[00:32:58] Kelsey: Love that. So that's really [00:33:00] great. And you know, one thing that she says on her website is that she believes everyone deserves to see themselves in books. Yeah. And in a love story. And so that's why she writes the books that she writes. And you can find her on Instagram. On Good reads. She's not on TikTok.

[00:33:16] Kelsey: Oh, sad. Unfortunately. Yeah. TikTok is definitely not every author's vibe. No. Which makes sense. It's a lot sometimes. Yeah. No. Yes., 'Cause you know, Lauren Roberts is a author from TikTok. Mm-hmm. That's how she got her start. But other authors already have their start, so Yeah.

[00:33:32] Kelsey: They didn't need to start from the ground up on social media, which makes sense. Okay. Now getting to Charm Offensive, it is a romance novel which I'm excited to read soon. It was her debut novel. Novel, ugh, excuse me, published in September, 2021. So a, a little while back, about four years ago. Mm-hmm.

[00:33:55] Kelsey: And it actually has a 4.110. [00:34:00] Rating or romance book. That is a thing. I know. I was like, I you have to read this book now to Yeah. That's wild. I have to read this book and I have to highlight it. So yeah, that was really surprising because we talked about this recently, is that it's really difficult for a romance novel to get over four or like even close to four.

[00:34:18] Kelsey: Mm-hmm. So the fact that this one has four 11, like that's. Wow. A good sign. Wow. Yeah. And it is 354 pages. It's very much the average of a romance novel. It makes perfect sense. Mm-hmm. But yeah, so, the premise of this book is that. One of the main characters that follows two main characters, dev and Charlie.

[00:34:39] Kelsey: And Dev is a successful producer of this reality show ever after. And he can perfectly script others, happily ever afters, but his personal life is quite messy. And then Charlie is this star of the show. It's kind of seen as like a bachelor like. The [00:35:00] show. Bachelor show. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:35:01] Kelsey: It's similar to that. He's a public figure, but behind the scenes is kind of a bit awkward and standoffish. And Dev tries to coach Charlie along the tour that they're doing to meet all these women. Mm-hmm. And their relationship begins. Hmm. So that is the premise of the novel.

[00:35:20] Kelsey: And this book actually also won the Lambda literary ward for best L-G-B-T-Q romance novel in 2023, which is Oh, okay. Interesting because yeah, it was published in 2021. Yeah. But it still has this traction mm-hmm. Coming in in 2023. So that's also a good sign. 

[00:35:41] Amanda: Yeah. Really good sign. 

[00:35:42] Kelsey: And then because I haven't read this book yet, I thought it was a good idea to get some quotes from.

[00:35:49] Kelsey: Other reviewers. Mm-hmm. And one of the reviews I brought up was from Bryce Rocks, my Socks on Good Reads and it says, the gay Bachelor [00:36:00] season we all Deserve. 

[00:36:01] Amanda: Oh, I love that. So that sounds 

[00:36:03] Kelsey: fun. And then another, review from Gabby on Good read says, I really appreciate the discussion of mental illness in this book because one of these characters deals with severe anxiety and OCD and the other deals with clinical depression.

[00:36:17] Kelsey: And I think it's so great to see these things normalized in a romance novel, and it's important to see this kind of representation in spread awareness. Yeah, absolutely. I completely agree, Gabby, and that's part of the reason why I'm really excited to dive into this book soon. 

[00:36:32] Amanda: Yeah, I mean, it sounds like it touches on so many of things like.

[00:36:35] Amanda: Like clearly giving representation for lgbtq, LGBTQ plus romance, but also incorporating, like you said, discussions around mental illness, which is so important. Mm-hmm. So, so much representation and so much awareness. I love it. Yeah. Just like all packed into one book. 

[00:36:52] Kelsey: Yeah. And I've also heard good things about her other two books as well.

[00:36:56] Kelsey: Mm-hmm. So if I get into this one, I'll probably read her [00:37:00] other ones. 

[00:37:00] Amanda: That makes sense. That absolutely attracts Yay. Awesome. Sounds like another great wreck. So I will wrap things up with my final wreck. Sweet. Which again, is a book I have talked about. Very often on this podcast, and I am, I'm still, I think I am gonna have Kelsey.

[00:37:14] Amanda: Read it 'cause I also think it would lead to a really good discussion. Yeah, probably it is Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame. Ajay Brenna. And so a little bit about Nana. He is an author of Speculative fiction, which I love, speculative, speculative. Fiction for those folks who have read like Margaret Atwood, so she's the author of The Handmaid's Tale.

[00:37:37] Amanda: Like her books are often speculative fiction and it's fascinating because they're basically speculating as to like what our world could look like mm-hmm. In a fictionalized way. And it can just be really insightful and very impactful and sometimes terrifying. So, he was born and raised in New York.

[00:37:53] Amanda: He is of. I, I should have looked this word up too, 'cause it came up in a previous episode. Ghanaian, I think it's Ghanaian [00:38:00] heritage, not Ghanaian Ghana. And so both his parents are from, what would you have said, Ghanaian? No, I think it's got, it's either Ghanaian or Ghanaian. Ghanaian. Yeah. But both of his parents are from Ghana, but he grew up here.

[00:38:12] Amanda: Yes. And he has always loved to write. So we knew from a young age, like this is something that he really enjoyed, really wanted to do, and actually wrote for his high schools literary magazine. He went on to get his undergrad from the university. At Albany SUNY and then attended the graduate writing program at Syracuse University, and then he ended up actually teaching in that same writing program that he graduated from.

[00:38:35] Amanda: One important thing to note, because it connects to this book that we're about to talk about, he has a really deep interest in prison abolition, and actually after college, he worked for the Rockland Coalition to end the new Jim Crow, and so has a lot of like firsthand experience with our prison system and all of the mm.

[00:38:53] Amanda: Flaws and injustices systemic racism, et cetera, that happens within it. As of right now, he's only [00:39:00] written two books. So he's written Chain Gang All Stars, which we'll talk about in a second. And then he wrote this book called Friday Black, and it's actually a short story anthology. So it's a collection of 12 stories.

[00:39:10] Amanda: And again, they're diving into like these really heavy, hard hitting issues that directly impact our society. So racism, school shootings, generational violence, consumerism. And so he just like really. Does not shy away from diving into the nitty gritty and kind of calling those things out in the form of fictional works, which I think can be incredibly impactful.

[00:39:31] Amanda: He was named one of five under 35 authors by the National Book Foundation in 2018 and also won the PIN Gene Stein book award in 2019. So it was already kind of. Getting his name out there and getting a lot of really great traction, recognition, changing all Stars, which is his second book was published in May of 2023, so again, pretty recently.

[00:39:53] Amanda: Yeah, it is three hundred and sixty seven, seven pages long, so it doesn't take a, a long time to get through. And also , [00:40:00] is well awarded, well nominated, so it was shortlisted. For the 2023 National Book Award for fiction and the New York Times named it one of the 10 best books of 2023. Mm-hmm. And then on Good Reads, it got the same exact nominations as Gideon the Ninth.

[00:40:15] Amanda: So it was nominated for a favorite science fiction and oh funny, favorite debut novel in 2023. And also has over a four. Rating. So it has a four point 12 Good reads rating. So again, if you don't trust my word that this is a good book, you can trust all of the other folks who have rated, reviewed and awarded this book.

[00:40:33] Amanda: It's, oh, it's so good, but it's also really heavy. So, it's speculative fiction, like I said. So it is set in this dystopian American society where prisoners who either have been sentenced to the death sentence or given the death sentence, or who have a prison sentence of 25 years or more, can join a program called Cape, which stands for Criminal Action Penal Entertainment.

[00:40:56] Amanda: Oh, Uhhuh. And it's like this gladiator. Style [00:41:00] like entertainment program, right? My gosh. Where essentially they can fight to the death uhhuh in order to earn their freedom. So essentially, if you make it through every round of this program and you haven't died, then congrats. Like you, you're free to go.

[00:41:16] Amanda: So it focuses on two women who are also lovers, and that is Loretta Thor and her lover, Hamara Stacker. And they're both you know. Doing really well in the program. Right. They're both really strong fighters, good contenders, and so , the story follows them navigating this program as they both are, you know, seeking freedom, but they're also ultimately working to try to undermine and kind of destroy this horrible system that they've found themselves trapped in.

[00:41:42] Amanda: Mm-hmm. It's a very heavy book. Very tragic. Very sad, very heartbreaking. 

[00:41:47] Kelsey: Oh gosh.

[00:41:48] Amanda: And it makes sense because it is, you know, talking about the injustices and the horrors of our current prison system. And unlike other fictional novels, and I've mentioned this in [00:42:00] a previous episode, there are footnotes mm-hmm.

[00:42:02] Amanda: All throughout the novel where he highlights. Actual events, cases, people, situations, oh. That have happened and are currently happening in our prison system. So when something happens to a character, then they'll be a footnote and be like, oh my God, this actually happened to so and, and so, oh my. Yeah. So it's oof.

[00:42:18] Amanda: It's incredibly eyeopening. Incredibly devastating, but again, is so necessary because it's one of those things that I think is often ignored in our society. We're like, we don't spend a lot of time thinking about incarcerated individuals, and if we do, it's like, oh, well, they deserve to be there. Full stop.

[00:42:33] Amanda: Like, moving on with my life. 

[00:42:35] Kelsey: Yeah, and there's just 

[00:42:36] Amanda: So many problems. So it really dives into themes of, you know, systemic oppression and justice, and what is justice, what does that mean, what does it look like, redemption, and can people be redeemed and should be a law for that? The spectacle of violence and the fact that even now in 2025, we as Americans and as consumers, often like to consume really violent entertainment.

[00:42:58] Amanda: And is that yeah, [00:43:00] good or a bad thing? I don't know, you know? Mm-hmm. And you know, even thinking about, you know.

[00:43:03] Amanda: Video games that, you know, become quite popular and just like this glorification of violence. So, yeah, that is all that good stuff.

[00:43:10] Kelsey: Oh my gosh. I 

[00:43:11] Amanda: think one of the things that I loved about this book is that generally when we think about the prison system, when we think about a novel, especially a novel that's based around like gladiator style fighting, you would assume that a male author would have written the book with a male protagonist.

[00:43:24] Amanda: And so I love that he kind of. Yeah. Turned things on its head and had instead, not one, but two really strong. Independent fierce fighters who are women who also are in love with each other. Mm. So in addition, again, kind of like with your books, in addition to it touching on and highlighting an LGBTQ plus relationship, it is also touching on other really important pressing issues in our society.

[00:43:47] Amanda: Yeah. Again, around our prison system, around systemic oppression, systemic racism. Mm-hmm. So there are literally a million reasons why you should read this book. And why? It's a great read and since [00:44:00] I've read it, it is like forever gonna be one of my top reads, like, oh man, it's amazing. It's so good.

[00:44:05] Kelsey: It's definitely sounds like a compelling book. 

[00:44:08] Amanda: Yeah. Yes, and I'm scared to read it. So scary. You do have to brace yourself for it, but, oh God. You know, I think ultimately it has the, you know, it has a, an uplifting end. It's bittersweet. We'll just say that it's bittersweet, which you would expect with a book like that, I think.

[00:44:28] Amanda: But yeah. So that's my second book. So yeah. Kelsey, you can recap. Woohoo. Your two for folks. 

[00:44:34] Kelsey: Yeah. My two recommendations were The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero, LA Cruz, and Charm Offensive by Alison. Cochrane. 

[00:44:46] Amanda: Awesome. Awesome. And mine. Awesome. Awesome. My, you're making up 

[00:44:51] Kelsey: new words too. Look 

[00:44:52] Amanda: at that.

[00:44:53] Amanda: You're rubbing off on me. 

[00:44:54] Amanda: My two books were Getting The Knife by Tims and Muir and Changing All Stars by Nana Kwame, [00:45:00] Ajay Breia. I think all four of these books, depending on what your reading preferences are and what you're into mm-hmm. Any of these would make a great selection. And as always, yeah. If y'all have Rex.

[00:45:11] Amanda: Tell us what they are. 'Cause we also wanna expand our reading too. 

[00:45:15] Kelsey: Love 

[00:45:15] Amanda: to hear it. So, yeah, so since Kelsey did socials at the beginning, I will wrap up with them. So again, wrap it up. You can hop on our socials to give us your recommendations. Uhhuh, we're on Instagram at Lit Vibes only underscore podcast.

[00:45:28] Amanda: We are on TikTok at Lit Vibes Only podcast. And you can also watch. This full length video episode on YouTube at Lit Vibes only podcast, and as always, yeah, don't forget to rate and review. We promise. It either takes two seconds if you're rating, or two minutes if you're rating and review 

[00:45:44] Kelsey: if you're writing a review.

[00:45:46] Kelsey: Right. Even 

[00:45:47] Amanda: if it's just like five words, right? If it's just like, I think this is awesome. We would so, so deeply Appreciate it. We appreciate you all so much. Mm-hmm. Thank you for tuning in. Yay. And we'll see you. We made [00:46:00] it. Bye.