#lady posts

So there's an Asian restaurant that I pick up food from on almost a monthly basis, and this place has what I call "comfort curry." Japanese Chicken Curry namely, which includes chicken, potatoes, carrots, and a curry sauce served over rice. The portion is generous enough to be two meals for me, which is why I love getting this from time to time. My husband also appreciates this dish and will request it when he wants curry, too.

Well, I placed an order with them at the beginning of the year, and I've always noticed this one thing in their fridge area next to the to-go counter. Cheese pudding. I have been curious about it, and finally asked the cashier (who is totally used to seeing me with my "usual" order) if it was meant to be a dessert and how sweet it was. She said that it was only sweet the more you mix in the brown sugar sauce at the bottom of the jar. Y'all, this lady plucked a jar up and put it in my to-go bag to let me try it out.

That is some solid gambling there. She was betting 50/50 that I would probably enjoy the dessert, and if I didn't, she was only out that one dessert. However, if I DID like it, I'm more likely to buy it in future orders. And lemme tell y'all, it was really nice. Like a combination of flan and cheesecake. Yes, my husband and I split it, and of course he liked it, too. So looks like we'll be getting it in a future order.

Behold the greatest creation: Bread.

With that being said, I'm coming out as bisexual. I realized that I felt like this since I was 18, but I wasn't in a place where I could express myself freely (I'm not fully out to people yet, just close friends and family members who I know will support me).

Not that I expect any publishers to read or listen to these simple wishes. I just wanted to put these out into the universe on the off-chance something might come of it in the future. A lady can always hope, y'all.

Previous book recap chapter for longer over-arching series. This is what will often prevent me from continuing series that feature the same characters because too much time has passed between reading the first/second book and the next one.

Stop using AI to generate covers and pay an actual artist. I am looking at only a couple of publishers, but still, y'all can totally afford to pay an artist for book covers. Especially YOU, Bloomsbury, with your SJM nonsense.

First print-run unique editions rather than a dozen different special editions with one to two differences. Again, staring at YOU, Bloomsbury. Some publishers are also now doing 2 different first print editions, a standard and a "deluxe" which is usually a few dollars more. Not sure that's necessary either.

NO. MORE. PRINTED. ON. COVER. STICKERS. No one will care if a book was chosen for some celebrity's book club in a year after. See below alternatives.

Use actual removable stickers OR if you must do the printed on ones, print it on the inside of the dust jacket or on the back of the cover where it won't block any of the front cover.

Give authors more time with books by also having fewer releases. Readers, you have to admit the tidal wave of releases is out of hand (I know YA releases have gone up at least 400% since the renaissance back in 2007).

Do complete edits of ALL books. It's okay to not publish a tome.

Put more authors in the spotlight and do more marketing rather than just focusing all/most efforts on a handful of titles.

Illustrated books for SFF titles. Including characters, scenes, and maps is a great way to help some readers get immersed into the story.

More decorative covers under the dust jacket, namely art that's printed onto the actual hardcover. This can go hand in hand with the first print-run editions. Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao is a perfect example of this. Just LOOK AT IT!

Anyway, these are just my personal preferences that I'd like to see in publishing. Y'all don't have to share my views, and if you've got any Bookish Wishes, let me know them! Always happy to talk about books.

I know readers are familiar with the TBR (to be read) list, especially if you follow book bloggers/vloggers, BookTokers, BookTubers, really any social media dealing with books. To be fair, the monthly TBR is really high pressure for me since my reading usually is all over the place. (Mood reader, y'all, amirite?)

Anyways! That's where the TPF (to pick from) comes in as a less pressured form of the reading list! You select books you'd like to pick from to read, but that also leaves it open to other books in case you're not feeling one from the TPF.

*gets on the soapbox*

What is it about a young protagonist that automatically makes a reader assume that a book is a young adult (YA) title? Or that it takes place in a school setting? This appears more prevalent in contemporary Adult Fantasy and usually works written by female-identifying authors. 

Fortunately, I’ve located some articles that have gone into the reasoning behind this as well as provide examples. 

As Nunnally from Book Riot points out, there is fault both on the publisher and the book community for mislabeling/miscategorizing an Adult Fantasy as YA Fantasy. It’s interesting to see that some of the publishers are starting to “walk back” or perhaps “right the wrong” of previous issues. 

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas was her first series and originally marketed to a YA audience despite some dubious elements and themes present through the series. Bloomsbury has now rebranded and reprinted it under their Adult imprint to go along with A Court of Thorns and Roses, which had also been miscategorized, and Crescent City. I’m sure this was entirely a “correction” on their part and had nothing at all to do with another factor. *cough* 🤑

It also doesn’t help when even book awards start to blur the lines such as when the World Science Fantasy Society Lodestar (awarded alongside the Hugos) Award winner for 2 years was Naomi Novik's A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate. Both books are not Young Adult titles, yet they received the award “for a book published for young adult readers in the field of science fiction and fantasy.” Again, just because a title takes place in a school setting doesn’t mean it’s for a younger audience. 

I find it distressing to see the book community miscategorize a title for whatever reason: a young protagonist, compelling/"easy?" writing (i.e. “reads young”), low-stakes plot “shallow story,” etc. I see this too often in book vloggers’ videos even now, and it feels like they’re doing a disservice if not disrespecting the author’s work despite any enjoyment the readers express as well. 

What can be done to resolve this issue? It’s tough to say since there may not be one solution to the problem. Perhaps a reader could say that “there is YA appeal” or “a younger audience might find this a good book” rather than outright miscategorizing a title. I also like what Briana on Pages Unbound says, “I do think it’s worth examining our personal attitudes, what we think ‘must be’ YA as opposed to adult literature.”