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Wheeee, it's my turn to host the book club again! Inspired by Kadi and Jess I wanted to go for a theme for my books this time around but give it a little twist, so I've got for you three very different books, all by kiwi authors! I've put full summaries under the spoilers, but given a briefer description above as well so you can choose how much info you want before voting.
Gideon The Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir
Fantasy/sci-fi, necromancers and their bodyguards solving a mystery in an abandoned castle in space. Queer protagonists, Māori protagonists, Māori & Polynesian majority cast, part one of a four part series. 448 pages.
Greta & Valdin, by Rebecca K. Reilly
Literary fiction - siblings navigating young adult life, a large multicultural family, and the complexity of trying to find relationships. Queer protagonists, Māori protagonists, standalone, 352 pages.
The Imaginary Lives Of James Pōneke, by Tina Makereti
Historical fiction set in Victorian London, about a young Māori boy working as a living exhibition. Queer protagonist, Māori protagonist, standalone, 336 pages.
NOTE: This one is a bit more niche than the other two, and might be difficult for people to get their hands on. IDK exactly what its availability is like overseas, so I'd recommend if you're planning on voting for it have a quick look first to see if it's easily accessible to you. I believe RNZ has a free audio version, though I don't know how available that will be overseas.
I'm excited to see how this turns out! I've already read Gideon the Ninth (after Mia put it up for her month last year and it didn't win) and loved it so I'm putting it up mostly because I want to read it again
The other two books I've never read though, and I had fun trying to make sure I had a spread of books that were decently different from one another so it'd be a more varied choice. Greta & Valdin isn't exactly my usual style of book, but I've read stuff that wasn't my usual style in the book club before and loved it so I'm keen to branch out, and The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke is a bit of a long shot because it's so niche, but the premise sounds SO GOOD and I'd love to see what it's all about. (I'll be reading it soon whether it wins or not ) Basically, I'm excited no matter which of these options wins!
This poll will be open for 7 days, so get your votes in quick! Once the lucky winner emerges, we'll have two months to discuss and enjoy in this thread, before the next poll begins.
React/discuss in the thread at your own pace, but since we all read at different speeds and are all different levels of busy, please be respectful and hide all potential spoilers behind spoiler tags.
Site rules apply to all discussion on site, but be warned that some books may potentially contain more mature themes or language.
The current book club schedule is:
Jan/Feb- Jess
March/April - Rowan
May/June - Daphne
July/August - Sarah
Sept/Oct - Mia
Nov/Dec - Camilla
Anyone keen to take the lead in future should let Cyndi know!
Gideon The Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir
Fantasy/sci-fi, necromancers and their bodyguards solving a mystery in an abandoned castle in space. Queer protagonists, Māori protagonists, Māori & Polynesian majority cast, part one of a four part series. 448 pages.
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullsh*t.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.
Of course, some things are better left dead.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullsh*t.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.
Of course, some things are better left dead.
Greta & Valdin, by Rebecca K. Reilly
Literary fiction - siblings navigating young adult life, a large multicultural family, and the complexity of trying to find relationships. Queer protagonists, Māori protagonists, standalone, 352 pages.
An irresistible and bighearted international bestseller that follows a brother and sister as they navigate queerness, multiracial identity, and the dramas big and small of their entangled, unconventional family, all while flailing their way to love.
It’s been a year since his ex-boyfriend dumped him and moved from Auckland to Buenos Aires, and Valdin is doing fine. He has a good flat with his sister Greta, a good career where his colleagues only occasionally remind him that he is the sole Māori person in the office, and a good friend who he only sleeps with when he’s sad. But when work sends him to Argentina and he’s thrown back in his former lover’s orbit, Valdin is forced to confront the feelings he’s been trying to ignore—and the future he wants.
Greta is not letting her painfully unrequited crush (or her possibly pointless master’s thesis, or her pathetic academic salary...) get her down. She would love to focus on the charming fellow grad student she meets at a party and her friendships with a circle of similarly floundering twenty-somethings, but her chaotic family life won’t stop her mother is keeping secrets, her nephew is having a gay crisis, and her brother has suddenly flown to South America without a word.
Sharp, hilarious, and with an undeniable emotional momentum that builds to an exuberant conclusion, Greta & Valdin careens us through the siblings’ misadventures and the messy dramas of their sprawling, eccentric Maaori-Russian-Catalonian family. An acclaimed bestseller in New Zealand, Greta & Valdin is fresh, joyful, and alive with the possibility of love in its many mystifying forms.
It’s been a year since his ex-boyfriend dumped him and moved from Auckland to Buenos Aires, and Valdin is doing fine. He has a good flat with his sister Greta, a good career where his colleagues only occasionally remind him that he is the sole Māori person in the office, and a good friend who he only sleeps with when he’s sad. But when work sends him to Argentina and he’s thrown back in his former lover’s orbit, Valdin is forced to confront the feelings he’s been trying to ignore—and the future he wants.
Greta is not letting her painfully unrequited crush (or her possibly pointless master’s thesis, or her pathetic academic salary...) get her down. She would love to focus on the charming fellow grad student she meets at a party and her friendships with a circle of similarly floundering twenty-somethings, but her chaotic family life won’t stop her mother is keeping secrets, her nephew is having a gay crisis, and her brother has suddenly flown to South America without a word.
Sharp, hilarious, and with an undeniable emotional momentum that builds to an exuberant conclusion, Greta & Valdin careens us through the siblings’ misadventures and the messy dramas of their sprawling, eccentric Maaori-Russian-Catalonian family. An acclaimed bestseller in New Zealand, Greta & Valdin is fresh, joyful, and alive with the possibility of love in its many mystifying forms.
The Imaginary Lives Of James Pōneke, by Tina Makereti
Historical fiction set in Victorian London, about a young Māori boy working as a living exhibition. Queer protagonist, Māori protagonist, standalone, 336 pages.
NOTE: This one is a bit more niche than the other two, and might be difficult for people to get their hands on. IDK exactly what its availability is like overseas, so I'd recommend if you're planning on voting for it have a quick look first to see if it's easily accessible to you. I believe RNZ has a free audio version, though I don't know how available that will be overseas.
A vivid novel about a Māori boy exhibited in Victorian London – a provocative tale about what makes us human. 'The hour is late. The candle is low. Tomorrow I will see whether it is my friends or a ship homewards I meet. But I must finish my story for you first. My future, my descendant, my mokopuna. Listen.' So begins the tale of James Pōneke – orphaned son of a chief; ardent student of English; wide-eyed survivor. All the world's a show, especially when you're a living exhibit. But anything can happen to a young New Zealander on the savage streets of Victorian London. When James meets the man with laughing dark eyes and the woman who dresses as a man, he begins to discover who people really are beneath their many guises. Although London is everything James most desires, this new world is more dark and dazzling than he could have imagined.
I'm excited to see how this turns out! I've already read Gideon the Ninth (after Mia put it up for her month last year and it didn't win) and loved it so I'm putting it up mostly because I want to read it again
The other two books I've never read though, and I had fun trying to make sure I had a spread of books that were decently different from one another so it'd be a more varied choice. Greta & Valdin isn't exactly my usual style of book, but I've read stuff that wasn't my usual style in the book club before and loved it so I'm keen to branch out, and The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke is a bit of a long shot because it's so niche, but the premise sounds SO GOOD and I'd love to see what it's all about. (I'll be reading it soon whether it wins or not ) Basically, I'm excited no matter which of these options wins!This poll will be open for 7 days, so get your votes in quick! Once the lucky winner emerges, we'll have two months to discuss and enjoy in this thread, before the next poll begins.
React/discuss in the thread at your own pace, but since we all read at different speeds and are all different levels of busy, please be respectful and hide all potential spoilers behind spoiler tags.
Site rules apply to all discussion on site, but be warned that some books may potentially contain more mature themes or language.
The current book club schedule is:
May/June - Daphne
July/August - Sarah
Sept/Oct - Mia
Nov/Dec - Camilla
Anyone keen to take the lead in future should let Cyndi know!
) so I'll likely start it soon as I'm finished my current read!
i don't have access to that one- I'll lurk so you have to tell me all about it!