Female Friendly Book Recommendations

Today I uploaded a video about female friendly television shows. This basically means shows that have female characters and actually utilize them. If you take away the woman from the show, the story would change quite a bit. The women in these shows are treated with respect and as equals to the men. Most of these shows I recommend have female main characters or have more women in its cast as most of the other shows airing right now. Not only that, but I tried to include shows with a high level of diversity, meaning shows that have more diversity than just including some white cishet women in their cast of white cishet dudes.


Now, I'm a booktuber at heart. Yes, I've been branching out into discussing other types of media with a feminist focus. However, my youtube channel is still where my adventure into literature is taking place. I say 'adventure' because I have so much more to explore. With television and movies I feel like I am versed in the canon and the current industry. There are far less accessible TV shows than books (for years after they are published books are semi-easy to get ahold of, where as there are still episodes of classic Doctor Who missing and I still can't find a way to legally watch Birds of Prey). It also takes less time to watch a movie or a few episodes of a TV show than to read a 400 page book (at least for me).

This is a long winded way to say that I would have liked to shoot a video about female friendly book recommendations, but I really don't even know where to start! There are so many books. There are so many books in the feminist canon alone. I feel like I haven't even brushed the surface. I feel like I can't recommend female friendly books when there are SO MANY out there. I also feel like I can't recommend female friendly books when I feel like I haven't read the best ones. I feel like I've only read about 150 books in my lifetime not counting children books under 100 pages.

However, I do feel like I can give you my "rule" when I'm picking out a book when I want something pro-women. You know, when you are sick of reading about dudes and their dude problems or sick of abusive-like relationships. This is just my personal opinion and method. I tend to try any books written by women (women of color is always a plus) not written by Stephenie Meyer or anyone inspired by Stephenie Meyer. If you're REALLY not feeling the possibility of really shitty relationships, you could stray away from the romance genre (if you're a YA fan, I would suggest at least staying away from supernatural romance. If you're not a strict YA person, I would avoid it in it's entirely, just in case). So basically, my female friendly book suggestions are literary fiction or classics written by a woman of color or a woman already lauded as being a feminist. Just stay away from Stephenie Meyer and books written by white cishet dudes if you're looking for something that won't make you as a woman slightly cringe.

You now understand that I am not nearly educated enough to give female friendly book recommendations. Please give me your recommendations!!

Resources for Understanding Feminist, LGBTQIA and Racial Issues

This list is CONSTANTLY being updated and will probably never be finished because there are so many wonderful resources and commentary on the internet. I am just one girl trudging through Internetland.

Feminist Links
Feminist Ally Masterlist @ GeekFeminism
FandomAndFeminism: a GREAT blog
Feminist Frequency: a great youtuber who is basically everything I ever hope to be
Who Needs Feminism? (spoiler: the answer is everyone)
Finally, a Feminist 101 Blog
Your Fav is Problematic: a whole blog to help you recognize that your hero isn't perfect and why you shouldn't blindly defend them
Feminist Disney: it's just so cute and informational
This is Rape Culture tumblr
Feministing
New Wave Feminism: intersectional feminism yay
Course Guide for Sociology of Gender
Feminist Texts by WOC

Privilege Links
Why Does Tumblr Hate Straight/Cis/White People: a great photoset about privilege 
White Privilege photoset with additional resources
Explaing Privilege to Straight White Dudes Without Using the Word Privilege (in a way they'll understand)
This Is White Privilege 

Racism Links
US History Minus White Guys
My Culture is Not A Trend: tumblr about Cultural Appropriation 
Racism School
This Shit is All Racist
Get the Fuck Out of My Culture
Why Reverse Racism Doesn't Exist
One Comedian’s Amazing Response To The People Who Complain About “Reverse Racism”

A Few LGBTQIA Links
What's the Difference Between Bisexuality and Pansexuality?
A HUGE list of LGBTQIA terms @ UCSan Diego
Why FCKH8 Needs to Stop: a whole blog explain why the FCKH8 campaign is problematic 
Are You a Good Straight Ally?
The Entire 'Educate' Tag @ Shut The Fuck Up Straight People
Heterophobia  Is Not Real
AutoStraddle, My Favorite Queer Girl Community

Asexual & Aromantic Links
How to be a Better Ally to Aromantic People 
A Great Blog by a Asexual, aromantic, non-binary trans person who knows their stuff
Asexual Youtubers
Asexual Resources Tumblr

How to be a Trans Ally
A guide for the clueless @ TransWhat (a great website by a trans teenager)
Tips for Allies @ GLAAD
Trans Ally Tips @ UCDavis

Trans Links
A Surprisingly In-depth Masterlist to Transgender Resources by a Homestuck roleplayer (it's a really good blog, guys, wow)
Resource Masterlist FOR Trans People
I Am: Trans People Speak
A News Story about my Favorite Adorable Trans Couple
A Comic By and About a Transman
Another (finished) Comic by a Transman (I haven't read it but look at that art it's so pretty)

How Fandom Saved my Life

(Trigger warning for allusions to suicide, depression)

I get excited about things like book releases, movie premieres, and new television seasons because in the past it was the only thing to keep me going. Harry Potter saved my life more times than I can count. “You would miss out on Deathly Hallows, you need to find out what happens,” I would tell myself. “You need to see the final movie before doing anything drastic,” I would tell myself. There was a bit of time after everything was done where I felt numb. Yes, it was my childhood and those Hogwarts students were my friends who I would never see again. Mostly, however, it was that I didn’t have anything to look forward to.

I had things to stick around for, yes. Things like my family and my friends, but when you’re at those low points of which I was often, you start to think it would be in their favor to rid them of you. When I was stuck lower than I had ever been before, my love for my family wasn’t going to save me. Self-hatred prompted me to think that everyone would be better off without me, so if I loved my family...you get the picture.

Knowing in my heart that I didn’t want to die, I looked for other things to look forward to. I tend to sign in to my old Neopets account whenever I’m feeling depressed, because I know from the Post-Potter Depression that doing those daily things like collecting the daily freebies, feeding my pets and playing my favorite games three times a day gave me something that I had to get up for. I’ve had my same Neo account for 10 years and I’ve been active for at least two months every year, because it’s a coping mechanism that I know how to use. However, it wasn’t community based enough for me. I never was quite accepted into a peer group on the message boards (although I did manage to make a few friends who I’m still in contact with today). No one was all excited for one thing at one time, the closest thing only ever being the Altador Cup and that was only once a year. It wasn’t enough.

So then comes Nerdfighteria and looking forward to their videos and P4A. Then comes Starkid and waiting for their new musicals to go up on YouTube. And then Glee. And then Doctor Who and a variety of other shows (and the Marvel movies and THG books/movies) I could distract myself with while I was busy trying to stay alive to watch the next season of Glee. I actually kept a calendar of fandom type things that were happening throughout the year to keep myself calm and grounded. It sounds silly, but it worked. It got me through. Just, wow. What a great thing. I am here to see another year. I am still here. It doesn’t matter how it happened, as long as it happened.

I’m currently on great meds, going to counseling weekly and feeling really good, mentally. I still happen to know that there are 85 days until Orphan Black season 2 and only 31 days until the new season of Glee. It’s now just a habit, but I also keep up with it as a fallback, a just in case. If 2014 isn’t as great as I’m predicting and if everything goes to shit, I have my fandoms to fall back on. It makes me feel safe. Safe enough to maybe start tippy-toeing out into the world and taking a few risks. We’ll see.

Bout of Books 9.0 Day 1 Summary

Day: 1 

Books Started: "A Wind in the Door" by Madeleine L'Engle

Books Finished: N/A 

Pages Read: 160 

Total Number of Books Read: 0 

Total Number of Pages Read: 160 

Average Number of Pages per Day: 160

   

Today was a weird "well I completed my goals but not really" day. I did not finish the book I intended to finish today by midnight. By the time I go to bed tonight I will have finished it, however. I do most of my reading after midnight, so I probably should have factored that in. I have less than 50 pages left to read tonight, and then I'll be starting another books, so I feel really good despite my stats not looking so hot right now.

I'm really loving getting back into the Time world and revisiting Meg and her friends. I'm probably not going to wait very long to pick up the 3rd in the series, because seriously I'm loving the hardcore science part of this science fiction series. After that it gets tricky with the overlapping series and number order and my brain is just not cut out for that.

I also managed to quickly throw together an entry in todays giveaway which was an adrenaline rush seeing as I had less than 10 minutes to pick out $100 worth of books. It's a bit strange though, commenting on blog posts as if I'm apart of the community and not some Booktube interloper. 

Now if you excuse me I gotta go finish this book and try not to immediately pick up the 3rd one. I have way too many library books to get through this month to be picking up ANOTHER book. 

Bout of Books 9.0 Goals

So I may have forgotten to do a goals post (as apparently I have forgotten both the two times I have participated) so very quickly before I post a summary of day one, here are my goals for the week:

1. Finish three books, even though the 3rd TMI book (which is a goal in itself) is HUGE, I still gotta keep up with the last two times I participated.
2. Participate in one challenge a day. 
3. Get through the 3rd TMI book without harming myself or others.

My TBR list is here if you wish to see which 3 books I really, really want to get through.

"Book Buying Spree" Challenge

Today's challenge for the Bout of Books readathon was over at Bookish Comforts! We had to fill our Book Depository carts up with $100 worth of books (don't worry, I'm still on my book buying ban and didn't actually buy anything). I was a little rushed, seeing as I just remembered to enter 10 minutes before it closed, but these are all books that are on my Goodreads TBR that I can't get from my library or local bookstore. 

Bout of Books 9.0 TBR

So it's an hour and 40 minutes into the NINETH session of Bout of Books (my third session) and I have yet to read a page. I was busy cuddling with puppies so obviously I'm not at fault here. 

I did manage to snap a pic of my small TBR pile for this week. They are in the order I plan to read them!

Right now my goal for this week is to just get through City of Glass by Cassandra Clare and A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle. However I'm hoping to start and finish A Wind in the Door today as it's quite short. That leaves me 6 days to get through City of Glass which I should be able to manage.

However, through experience of TMI series I have learned that it's impossible for me to speed through one of CC's books in two or three days without wanting to stab something. I read these during the Bout of Books read-a-thon because it forces me to read them in a week, which I would never do otherwise. I would read a chapter and then put it down, never wanting to open it ever again. But, my curiosity and my love for Simon spurs me on to try to finish the series. So, what I'm getting at it that I need more books to read in between my rage quit moments of City of Glass.

So I have both The Lady and her Monsters: A Tale of Dissections, Real-Life Dr. Frankensteins, and the Creation of Mary Shelley's Masterpiece by Roseanne Montillo and Splintered by A.G. Howard to read when I get frustrated with the shadowhunters. I have started both of these books already and know that I will enjoy them. If I don't finish them this week, I'll still be quite happy and will finish them before the month is out.

Remember to follow me on twitter @kyra_kat where I will be livetweeting my Bout of Books experience (not for the TMI fangirl).