Our favorite books from 2015, and an update on the future of the podcast.
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2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
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@bookrageous
Our favorite books from 2015, and an update on the future of the podcast.
IT’S ALIVE.

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
I felt the same way about Cinnamon and Gunpowder. I picked it up from the library on a whim, but didn't read it. I was waiting in the car for the library to open and began reading it just to pass time. Two hours passed before I realized what I was doing. There were sentences so beautifully written, I closed the book and said them aloud over and over. It is now one of my all-time favorite books.
Frankie, 14, asks Bloomsbury head why book villains ‘are usually deformed’, and says ‘society would get better’ if disabled characters were naturally included
Racism in Young Adult Literature; A List of Articles
White Washing
It Matters if You’re Black or White: The Racism of YA Book Covers
Cover Matters: On Whitewashing
Why is Children’s Literature White-Washed?
The Disappearance of Race and Ethnicity from YA Covers
Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover
Why the Pretty White Girl YA Book Cover Trend Needs to End
The Mortal Instruments and White Washing
Whitewashing & YA Book Covers, A Presentation
Race in Y.A. Literature
Race in Y.A. Lit: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee-Colored Skin!
Race in Young Adult Fiction
Racial Stereotyping in Young Adult Lit
Writing Race in YA
Diversity is Not Enough: Race, Power, and Publishing
I’m Sick of Reading YA Books about Hot White Kids
Why is There Not More Diversity in Young Adult Fiction
Straight Talk on Race: Challenging the Stereotypes in Kids’ Books
The State of Race in YA Literature
Websites:
Diversity in YA
We Need Diverse Books
Racialicious
Racebending.com
White Girls on Book Covers
Reading in Color
Relevant to our last episode!
BOOKS FOR FANS OF BBC’S JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL BBC’s wonderful adaptation of the historical fantasy and Hugo Award winning novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke is sadly concluding this Saturday, July 25th. If you have already read the source material and are looking for some great read-alikes that will transport you to a realm far from reality, then you have come to the right place. Whether you are in the mood for quintessential British witticisms or a spirited, yet deadly, competition between magicians, there is something on this list for you. We hope you like these titles as much as you have enjoyed watching the miniseries.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Little, Big by John Crowley
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Johannes Cabal The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
- Post by Fisher in Readers’ Services

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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do you know of any ya dystopias with queer/trans protagonists?
Ahhhhh I love the smell of queer dystopias in the morning…
Anyway, Yes! I know quite a few actually! I’m assuming this ask is about books but I’d like to mention a tv series called The 100 first. It’s set just under 100 years after a nuclear war and the main character is bisexual (which we find out when she gets a female love interest in season 2). Season 3 starts later this year and I’ve really enjoyed watching it. By no means is it perfect but the cast is more diverse than a lot of shows I’ve watched.
OK, so now on to books! (This list is lacking in the trans character department because I could find barely any books with trans characters in so as a note to the followers of this blog, if you know any trans dystopian novels please let me know or reblog and mention them there, thanks.)
The Butterfly and the Flame by Dana De Young (x) “In the year 2404, America is no more. In a land ruled by the oppressive theocracy known as the Dominion of Divinity, being gay is a capital offense, adultery is punished with the lash, women are forbidden to work, and forced marriages are common. Fifteen-year-old Emily La Rouche faces an impossible choice. On her sixteenth birthday, she will be forced to marry Jonathan Marsh, the son of her landlord. If she refuses, her family will lose everything. If she takes his hand, it is certain that her life will end by a hangman’s noose in front of an angry mob. All because Emily has been hiding an enormous secret for years-she was born a boy. As the wedding approaches, Emily’s parents realize the only way that she will be safe is if she is to escape the Dominion.” Since the description uses language like “born a boy” I’m not sure how accurate or respectful the book will be, especially since I haven’t read it, but it’s the only one I could find with a trans main character. Obviously trigger warnings for homophobia and probably transphobia by the sounds of it.
The Culling by Steven dos Santos (x) “Recruitment Day is here…if you fail, a loved one will die. For Lucian “Lucky” Spark, Recruitment Day means the Establishment, a totalitarian government, will force him to become one of five Recruits competing to join the ruthless Imposer task force. Each Recruit participates in increasingly difficult and violent military training for a chance to advance to the next level. Those who fail must choose an “Incentive”—a family member—to be brutally killed. If Lucky fails, he’ll have to choose death for his only living relative: Cole, his four-year-old brother.”
Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lee Block (bisexual main character, several secondary queer characters including a trans guy love interest for the main character) (x). “Her life by the sea in ruins, Pen has lost everything in the Earth Shaker that all but destroyed the city of Los Angeles. She sets out into the wasteland to search for her family, her journey guided by a tattered copy of Homer’s Odyssey. Soon she begins to realize her own abilities and strength as she faces false promises of safety, the cloned giants who feast on humans, and a madman who wishes her dead.”
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (x) is another novel set in a dystopia setting. “Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the story of how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.” Austin is bisexual/pansexual though he never uses the words.
The First Twenty by Jennifer Lavoie(x) “Humanity was nearly wiped out when a series of global disasters struck, but pockets of survivors have managed to thrive and are starting to rebuild society. Peyton lives with others in what used to be a factory. When her adopted father is murdered by Scavengers, she is determined to bring justice to those who took him away from her. She didn’t count on meeting Nixie.”
Proxy by Alex London (x) “Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death. Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own.” The character Syd is gay from what I’ve read.
Twixt by Sarah Diemer (x) “You wake upon the cold ground. As you struggle to rise, as your breath exhales like a ghost, you know only two things: You can’t remember who you are. And you’re being hunted.”
The End by Nora Olsen (x) I was reading an article (x) which said “my debut novel (The End) was an apocalyptic YA novel with lesbian, bisexual, and genderqueer main characters.” So while I haven’t read it you might wanna check it out (this article also talks about other dystopian queer novels). “When World War Three breaks out, seventeen-year-old Julia is on a school trip to Amsterdam, while fourteen-year-old Marly is trapped in a prison for delinquent girls. They both discover magical amulets, and try their best to save themselves and those around them. But it looks like their best will not be enough, as nuclear war threatens the survival of the human race. On her journey home to New York, Julia is joined by three other queer teens and the mysterious and alluring Ginger; lipstick lesbian Vikki; and five-thousand-year-old Skilly, who has an amulet that grants him eternal life.”
Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey (x) “Loup Garron was born and raised in Santa Olivia, an isolated, disenfranchised town next to a US military base inside a DMZ buffer zone between Texas and Mexico. A fugitive “Wolf-Man” who had a love affair with a local woman, Loup’s father was one of a group of men genetically-manipulated and used by the US government as a weapon. After her mother dies, Loup goes to live among the misfit orphans at the parish church, where they seethe from the injustices visited upon the locals by the soldiers. Eventually, the orphans find an outlet for their frustrations: They form a vigilante group to support Loup Garron who, costumed as their patron saint, Santa Olivia, uses her special abilities to avenge the town.” I think the main character is a lesbian and there is at least one other queer character.
OK I have watched MANY videos and here it is for all you kids to learn your viral/meme video history, here are some premium vintage meme fodder:
Hampster Dance (1998) Rejected (2000) All Your Base (2001) Tidus Laughing (2001) The End of the World (2003) Badger Badger Badger (2003) Hyakugojyuuichi!!! (2003) GI Joe PSAs (2003) Llama Song (2004) Banana Phone (2004) Ddautta (There She Is!) (2004) Charlie the Unicorn (2005) Cillit Bang (2006) Caramelldansen (2006) Metal Gear Awesome (2006) Leekspin (2006) Marissa Stole the Precious Thing (2006) The Mysterious Ticking Noise (2007) Powerthirst (2007) Paffendorf (2007) Splash Attack (2007) Caipirinha Dance (2007) I Take a Potato Chip… (2007) Nico Nico Douga Medley (2007) Ronald McDonald Ran Ran Ru (2008) Danjo (2008) Giga Pudding (2008) The Ultimate Showdown (2008) Balsamic Vinegar (2008) Sakura-Con Commercial (2009) Shamwow (2009) Slapchop (2009) OK GO- Here It Goes Again (2009) Stu Making Chocolate Pudding at 4 AM (2010) HEYYEYAA (2010) Galo Sengan (2011)
There are probably more that I’m missing. Some of these videos are part of a series (GI Joe, Potter Puppet Pals) and I didn’t count shitty videos like those idiot laughing babies.
2006 was a good time to be alive
Adding more since ‘hey I’m old I might know some stuff!’:
The Dead Alewives’ “Dungeons and Dragons” (1996)
Peanut Butter Jelly Time (2001/2004)
Numa Numa (2004)
Leeroy Jenkins (2005)
Furry DotA (2006)
Desu (2006)
~Uguu (2006)
Chocolate Rain (2007)
What What (In the Butt) (2007)
Shoes (2007)
Bad Apple!! (2009)
I better stop there ‘cause I’m just naming off ones that most people already know about orz
asgardreid
omfg the goddamn llama song i hadn’t thought about it in like ten years and now it’s stuck in my head SO THANKS FOR THAT (impressed that i still know all the words.)
EXCUSE YOU WHERE IS THEY’RE TAKING THE HOBBITS TO ISENGARD (2006)
HOLY FUCKING SHIT HOW WAS I NOT AWARE OF REJECTED (also so THAT’s where the screaming cuts audio comes from, wow)
oh wow nostalgia brick to the face X)
This is important history
Only tangentially related but Tay Zonday (of Chocolate Rain fame) now gets paid every day to record a 30 second show tease for Intentional Talk on MLB Network.
Follow your dreams kids, sometimes they pay you to just be you!
WAIT WAIT WAIT. "taking the hobbits to isengard" IS FROM 2006?????? my god. i feel so old.
The Blacker the Ink
Constructions of Black Identity in Comics and Sequential Art
“The Blacker the Ink is the first book to explore not only the diverse range of black characters in comics, but also the multitude of ways that black artists, writers, and publishers have made a mark on the industry. Organized thematically into “panels” in tribute to sequential art published in the funny pages of newspapers, the fifteen original essays take us on a journey that reaches from the African American newspaper comics of the 1930s to the Francophone graphic novels of the 2000s.
Even as it demonstrates the wide spectrum of images of African Americans in comics and sequential art, the collection also identifies common character types and themes running through everything from the strip The Boondocks to the graphic novel Nat Turner.
Though it does not shy away from examining the legacy of racial stereotypes in comics and racial biases in the industry, The Blacker the Ink also offers inspiring stories of trailblazing African American artists and writers. Whether you are a diehard comic book fan or a casual reader of the funny pages, these essays will give you a new appreciation for how black characters and creators have brought a vibrant splash of color to the world of comics. “
By Frances Gateward (Editor), John Jennings (Editor)
Available at Rutgers University Press / Amazon
please like/reblog if you save or use it!
Book quotes 💙📕💙❤️📘💙📚📖
tastefullyoffensive:
(photo via reloaded47)

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Basically
New month, new episode! Josh, Paul, and Pretti talk about their love of video games, poetry, Zelda, comics, which one of them is a Yoshi, and more. Like, share, listen!
Greek myth retellings
okay i got you covered omg
Starcrossed trilogy by Josephine Angelini (Trojan War with a dash of the curse of House Atreus thrown in)
Nobody’s Princess and Nobody’s Prize by Esther Friesner (Helen of Sparta pre-Trojan War)
The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer (Hades and Persephone except lesbians)
The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller (Pre-Trojan War and Trojan War from Patroclus’ pov)
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood (Penelope’s pov while Odysseus is away)
The Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett (retelling of the myth of Ariadne and The Minoraur)
and of course Percy Jackson and The Olympians by Rick Riordan + The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
send me a theme/genre of book that you’d like to read!
*takes notes*
Tiny Paper Bookmarks Let You Grow Charming Miniature Worlds In Your Books
bookdrunkinlove all you love!!!!!
WANT.
Bookrageous Favorites Out This Week
Do you like art? How about witches? How about scrappy heroines? Then we definitely recommend Hexed Volume 1, by Michael Alan Nelson and Dan Mora.

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
DEAR EVERYONE
tomorrow night we’re recording a bookrageous discussion about CITIZEN by Claudia Rankine, during which i probably mostly will just be reading sections from it in awe. want to read along with us? drop us a voicemail (347-855-7323) of you reading your favorite passage and we’ll put it in the show!
In honor of blacklivesmatter and as a small but heartfelt response to McKinney, we offer some reading suggestions:
Citizen, Claudia Rankine
Pym, Mat Johnson
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
How to Be Black, Baratunde Thurston
Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Ward
The Man in My Basement, Walter Mosley
Notes of a Native Son, James Baldwin
The Color Purple, Alice Walker
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, Issa Rae
What’s on your list?
Adding:
NW by Zadie Smith
Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones
Ayiti by @roxanegay
Also currently reading Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson
Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton
Go Tell It On the Side of the Mountain by James Baldwin
And anything by Zola Neale Hurston!