This tag was invented by Naz, who wants to get everyone reading diverse books.
And you guys all know that I want to get everyone reading books of any type. So there's a lot of crossover space there ;)
Naz also has a master list of these tag-posts. Check it out because there are links to loads of awesome book-lists :) (I'm never going to escape my TBR... it's too late for me!)
(Plus Naz is cool enough to let me stumble awkwardly in and out of his blog's comments section ;) so you can pretty much guarantee that he rocks.)
The Rules
- Credit the original creator, Read Diverse Books.
- The Diverse Books Tag is a bit like a scavenger hunt. I will task you to find a book that fits a specific criteria and you will have to show us a book you have read or want to read.
- If you can’t think of a book that fits the specific category, then I encourage you to go look for one. A quick Google search will provide you with many books that will fit the bill. (Also, Goodreads lists are your friends.) Find one you are genuinely interested in reading and move on to the next category.
I'm going to add some 'bonus books' into a couple of categories - because I'm nice like that ;) and because I can't let the opportunity to recommend books pass me by XD
Find a book starring a lesbian character.
Find a book with a Muslim protagonist.
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
This is a book that I'm reading at the moment, and, despite being generally held up as a modern classic here in the UK, it doesn't get read/talked about, a lot.
This is possibly because people know that this book is about *whispers* lesbians, and that still makes people edgy (see? this is why we all need to make lists like this.)
This is possibly because people know that this book is about *whispers* lesbians, and that still makes people edgy (see? this is why we all need to make lists like this.)
It's actually a very interesting, semi-autobiographical, bildungsroman (from childhood, and growing-up, type deal-y) about the fictional Jeanette (not to be overly confused with the factual Jeanette,) and her evangelical upbringing.
It's also a lot less graphic (so far anyway,) than all of the funny looks when you mention this book would suggest.
Bonus Book: Hollow Pike by Juno Dawson (UK - US) a YA book with lesbian character(s). And it rocks.
Bonus Book: Hollow Pike by Juno Dawson (UK - US) a YA book with lesbian character(s). And it rocks.
Ms Marvel Vol 1: No Normal
This is on my TBR, and I really want to read it because it just seems so awesome!
A lot of people have said it's really good. And of the legacy characters (superheroes taking on the mantel of previous superheroes,) we've had lately, this is the one that seems to be almost universally praised.
The previous Ms Marvel, Carol Danvers, (who I love!) graduated to being Captain Marvel when she finally decided that women can hold a rank, she then passed her title to Kamala Khan, who has to find her own way to inhabit the role. :)
Bonus Book: Lost For Words by Elizabeth Lutzeier (UK - US) - I'm not 100% on whether the protagonist here is Muslim because I read it so long ago and really can't remember. I've looked on the Internet, but can't find whether Aysha is Muslim or not.
Born of the Sun by Gillian Cross
This is kids/MG, bordering on YA. It's about a girl on an expedition with her father in Bolivia, trying to find an Incan city.
I remember there being a bunch of rainforest-y-ness (shhh, it's a word!) which was pretty cool :)
Find a book about a person with a disability.
Hawkeye, Vol 4: Rio Bravo
What most people don't know, because unfortunately it's not in the movies, is that Clint Barton - Marvel's Hawkeye, is deaf. He uses hearing aids, lip-reading, and sign-language. He's also had sight problems in the past.
Now, I'm not 100% on the timeline (because he was also dead at one point, and now he's not again, this is Marvel folks,) and the entire modern Hawkeye series is sitting pretty on my TBR, so I've picked Volume 4.
Why Volume 4? Because Hawkeye #19 (which this volume includes) is supposed to be excellent and focusses on Clint's experiences in a world he can't hear. It has speech bubbles with no speech, and ASL diagrams.
Bonus Books: Nina Is Not OK by Shappi Khorsandi (UK) is an NA/New Adult book which deals with mental health problems and addiction, and is out later this month. It's incredible, I'm going to shove it in people's faces until they read it.
Mr Mercedes by Stephen King (UK - US) also includes main characters with mental health problems. Holly is my hero. (My review.)
Monstress, Vol 1: The Awakening
This is one of those books that I could fangirl over forever and ever :)
Maika Halfwolf is an Asian teenager (we're never told where exactly she's from - but this is an alternative Asia, so doesn't have the same countries anyway,) and also an Arcanic - someone the humans consider to be a monster.
It's an incredible book and the artwork is so awesome and I love, love, love this book and-
I'm going to stop now, because if I get going about Monstress, we're going to be here all day. It's such an awesome book.
Find a book set in (or about) any country in Africa.
Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste
Another from my TBR, this book is a novel about Ethiopia and the revolution of the 1970s. It looked quite unique and interesting.
Find a book written by an Indigenous or Native author.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
OK, OK, I know that this is the book that everyone goes for in this category - but it's on my TBR, and is going to be most people's introduction to books by indigenous/native authors.
And who am I to deny people a perfectly good starting point?
Find a book set in South Asia (Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, etc.).
The Bookseller of Kabul by Ã…sne Seierstad
This is another book from my TBR, written by a Norwegian journalist about her experiences living for four months with the family of an Afghan man, Sultan Khan, who defied the authorities for over twenty years by continuing to sell books from his shop in Kabul.
It looks uber-interesting, and I'm really looking forward to reading it.
Find a book with a biracial protagonist.
Dark Wolverine, Vol 1: The Prince
Daken, the Dark Wolverine, is the bisexual son of Marvel's Wolverine. He's half-white-Canadian, half-Japanese, and somewhat of a psychopath.
He's an anti-hero who you can't help but root for, partly because you can totally see why he's so bitter - Daken's life hasn't exactly been sunshine and flowers.
It probably helps that Marjorie Liu is such an excellent judge of character (she's also one half of the team responsible for Monstress - you have to love Marjorie Liu, it's the rules.)
Bonus Books: The 'Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter' series by Laurell K Hamilton features our eponymous (title-character) heroine, Anita, who is half-white-German, half-Mexican.
The Broken Bridge by Philip Pullman (UK - US) is a YA book about Ginny, the only mixed-race (half-white-British, half-Haitian,) teen in the Welsh village where she lives.
Find a book starring a transgender character or about transgender issues.
The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
For this category, it had to be Lisa Williamson's excellent YA novel about David and Leo.
This book is just wonderfully beautiful, and beautifully wonderful :)
Bonus Book: Orlando by Virginia Woolf (UK - US), while transgender through magical/mystical means, is a great book where Orlando is, indeed, a man who transforms into a woman. (My review.)
I'm tagging:
Emily @ The Paperback Princess
Sierra @ The Nerdgirl Review
Olivia @ Olivia's Catastrophe
Charlotte @ Bookmarks and Blogging
Imogen @ Wandered Souls
Let Naz know when you're done so that he can add you to the master list! :)
And anyone else who wants to do this tag - you're very welcome to :)
Like this post? Try these:
What a great tag! I absolutely need to read Part-Time Indian, it looks both funny and important.
ReplyDeleteI need to read it too! And I highly recommend checking out Naz's list & blog in general - so worth it! :)
DeleteHalf of these books are new to me and I know a lot about diverse books. So good job! Especially with the Bonus Book part. I love it when problem go above and beyond.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely do have to read Diary of a Part Time Indian. Let me know if you need more recs for books by indigenous writers. But there's also the master list!
I'll be sure to add yours later tonight.
Thanks so much for doing this. 😀
No problem! I'm just glad I seem to've done ok ;)
DeleteThere's already so much on my TBR from the master list, but I will def. take a look at people's recs for indigenous writers. My TBR is completely out of control - and I'm totally blaming you ;)
This actually seems like a really hard tag where you need to find a little bit of everything, and therefore it really promotes diversity. I like it a lot - thanks for tagging me!
ReplyDeleteNo problem - and it's more fun than hard ;) but is totally awesome at promoting diversity XD
DeleteThanks for the tag! I'll get to it eventually, I promise, I'm just really bad at keeping up with things >.< I also feel like my choices will be limited, or mostly the same as yours, because if I scrutinize my reading it's... not overly diverse. Will definitely be looking lots up and no doubt adding them to my list!
ReplyDeleteHa, that's no problem! And the great thing about this tag is that you don't have to have read the book you pick. Check out Naz's master list if you need more inspo. :)
Delete