#24n48 + #diverseathon

I meant to make this post at least a week ago but I've had eye strain for over two weeks now - it's pretty much better, which is how I'm currently able to type this out. It's been driving me insane, though. However - readathons, the best things ever.

24in48 is exactly what it sounds like - a readathon centered around trying to read for 24 hours within 48. Takes place between today and tomorrow (Saturday January 21st - Sunday January 22nd). I've never hit 24 hours, and I'm not sure I ever will just because of who I am as a person, but it's a lot of fun to try and get there. And I always read a lot, even if I don't quite get to 24 hours. Follow along on all social media platforms with #24in48.

(will probably end up taking part a lot with audiobooks so my eyes can mend up fully for the week to come)

#24in48 website
twitter

Diverseathon! This is the second time a handful of booktubers, this time with a blogger and instagrammer, are running this readathon. I'll link a few things below but: Christina Marie's video, mostly because I feel like it has the most information in it. Basically, they really want to focus on #ownvoices this time around - and also not trying to stretch books into fitting into a "diverse" category.

Stretch yourself, read things that might make you uncomfortable - it's only the only way we can learn and grow. Growing pains are called that for a reason. I'm thinking of posting some diverse book recommendations this week, we'll see how well my eyes hold up. If not this week, then in the next few months - there's quite a few posts I've been meaning to do but, alas, eyes. I might post a TBR tomorrow, but I might just post a pile on my instagram of my TBR of diverse books (#ownvoices and not, just the pile I've got in view to remind me).

Dates: January 22nd - 29th

#diverseathon on all social media, and the conversation is fantastic. If you need recs for #ownvoices books, specific or broad, hit up the hashtag or the hosts in particular.

Christina' video again
diverseathon twitter account

#DiverseAThon | MC's with physical disabilities + MC's with mental health issues (#diversereads)

This is the area here my reading is the worst, honestly. I own a lot of books about characters with mental health problems, and biographies. However - as someone who struggles with depression and anxiety myself - I rarely want to read about it. Which might seem weird to say, especially in a post talking about diverse books, but anxiety is different for everyone (at least that's my experience talking with people/reading things) and so it rarely meets up with mine. And there's enough anxiety contained within me without reading about more. I do, on occasion, crave reading about either, both, or mental health issues I don't have... but it's, honestly, exhausting.

Physical disabilities are different - I've had a lot of health problems in my meer 21 years of existence, am also a medical oddity (heyo joints that bend the wrong way, sometimes dislocate). Saying that, however, so far nothing has gone so far as to disable me from doing everyday things - besides the previously mentioned depression and anxiety.

However, my mom has fibromyalgia, which can be passed down genetically (ah, the things I have to look forward to) and so it is important to me to read books about people with disabilities. But, once again, they're hard to read, emotionally exhaustion. And, honestly, most of the time I read for escapism, to avoid my problems, or just for some plain fun. I say this with no offense, but quite a few books dealing with heavy issues are themselves heavy, and I'm just not in the mood for that a lot.

Saying that - I'm working on it. If you have any recommendations, please leave comments (don't feel like you're writing too much. Any and all I will research and look into and probably add to my TBR).

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick - if you've been around, and pay attention to middle grade, you've probably head of Selznick's books. With the art and the words - bottom line, they're gorgeous. This one might be my favorite but it's hard to pick. This one also, surprising, has a deaf MC - there are two MC's. And it's been a while, I really need to reread, but I remember how in love with this book I was - while I was reading it, and how after I was recommending it to everyone. He's an incredible artist and storyteller.

Monstress, Volume 1 by Marjorie M. Liu, Sana Takeda - physically disabled MC, POC author and characters. I just have a lot of feelings and I've only read the first three issues of this as of writing this but I'm recommending it anyway. First off: art deco/steampunk, my weakness, with this incredible world that I cannot wait to learn more about. The MC is strange, can't wait to learn more about her, and is missing most of one of her arms, I think it's her left? You just need to fucking read this.

Not Otherwise Specified  by Hannah Moskowitz - mental health, LGBTQIA+, and the MC is a POC. Also a dancer. The mental health aspect is an eating disorder, and she's bisexual (as my memory serves) and it's amazing. I definitely want to reread it, because it as hard to read but just so good. 

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness - bottom line: this book is fucking good. It deals with the kids that aren't the chosen ones, which made me immediately want to read it and I did. It deals with mental health issues and has queer character(s) - can't remember if it's just one or multiple. Either way - incredible book. It's got a tad bit of... whimsy? With snippets about what the chosen ones are doing, what's happened in the past. If you read YA, or have in the past, with chosen one narratives - this one is probably for you.

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh - This is one I'm sure people have heard of. I'm still mentioning it because the hype has died down, if you haven't gotten to it yet it's the perfect time. It's funny but resonated with me very deeply. It's just so damn good.

There's got to be some I've forgotten, missed while scrolling through my goodreads. I hope there is, this is pretty pitiful. Please recommend some, any, to me - your favorite books with main characters with disabilities or mental illnesses. (If it's a side character, just let me know, but I'm more interested in MC's at the moment).

#DiverseAThon | LGBTQIA+ (#diversereads)

So diverse book recommendations is a little vague - diverse covers a lot - but there also huge gaps in my knowledge. A lot of countries I haven't read books from - a lot of LGBTQIA+ and not as many POC as there should be, which I will be getting on. I try to be aware of it but I've also been in such a weird reading mood the last... well, the last year and a half that I haven't done a great job. Better then I was but not great.

I was originally going to stuff them all together - so I'd get it out early in the readathon, incase anyone was still looking for recs. (Though, how could you be, really, with this google doc of heaven). There were just too many of them, I had to split them up. The one place I was lacking the most, though, was physical disabilities and mental health.

There is, however, very little order into how this is going on. Not all of these books - or the ones I'll be recommending in the posts about POC and then about mental illnesses and physical disabilities - are #ownvoices books, but I tried to get as many as I had read that were #ownvoices. However, hat doesn't mean I don't think #ownvoices are incredible important, it is so damn important.

If you're looking for something to read right now - that is short and sweet. Kind of gay, kind of badass and brutal. If you haven't read anything by Catherynne M. Valente you are in for a treat. Her short story The Lily and the Horn is available online for free and is incredible. 

The Trees, Volume 1 by Warren Ellis, Jason Howard (mostly queer but also has POC, one of the main settings in China, and it's just incredible. I'm still not over how amazing this comic was, and am impatiently waiting for volume 2 to finally come out. To me, it was better because of it's diversity. I love when these kinds of things show how different parts of the world react/deal with things. Highly, highly recommended)

David Levithan - the author. You've probably heard of him. I haven't read all his books yet, not by a long shot, but: Love is a Higher Law is one I loved. It's also timely considering it revolves around where the characters were during 9/11, as they're all in New York. It's hard to read but it's amazing. (I can't remember specifics about it but I know there's at least one queer character, I think a gay teenager, but it's fuzzy since I read it in 2012).

Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen - queer characters in 1919, one of them was a soldier in World War One (pretty sure both men are gay but I don't remember if they're ever specific about it). Either way - it's gorgeous and New York in this is vivid and beautiful. I loved it and want to reread it soon.

Virgil by Steve Orlando, J.D. Faith - There's a lot going on in this one shot graphic novel. It's set in Jamaica - which is the only thing I've read set there - and follows two gay men in a very homophobic place and time. It's a tad bit very heartbreaking but so worth it. The story is incredible, the art is gorgeous.

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark - I have a full review of this one. Basically it's written in prose about a transgender and genderfluid (never labeled but heavily hinted) characters. And I cried through most of it because I just felt so much for these characters, wanted to try and show them not everyone was like that. Just, man, I wanted to hug the fictional characters, basically. (The author herself isn't transgender or genderfluid but from what I read she worked closely with many people, teenagers I think, who were).

Ask the Passangers by A.S. King - I loved this book, it's just so damn incredible. The magical realism elements were my favorite, and continue to be in every A.S. King book I read. She's just an incredible writer and this is an incredible book that I really want to reread. The MC is LGBTQIA+ and it has a f/f romance. Also she talks out her problems to the planes that fly over her house and that's part of the magical realism and I loved it so damn much.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - this book destroyed me. If you haven't heard about it - it's an Achilles/Patroclus retelling but with none of the: no, no cousinnsss, totally just friends. Just dudes being dudes. Basically it's perfect?

Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson,  - an ongoing comic series that is the shit. It has LGBTQIA+ characters - two of the main girls - their identities aren't clear yet and they're young, but they're not straight. Also, just in general, you should read this comic. Girl power, magical realism, crazy shit going downnn. The art is awesome, I love these characters so damn much. Read it.

All for the Game series by Nora Sakavic - so this is a YA dark contemporary series with LGBTQIA+ characters (yes, multiple) and it has some problems. It's not perfect, but it's... so damn good? It's listed as a romance on goodreads, but that doesn't happen until the last book and isn't ever really romance-y, they've got too many problems. It's the first book I've ever read where the character can be - and I think is suppose to be - read as demisexual/demiromantic and it was kind of incredible? (If you've got any recs with other characters who are demi, please, please, leave pass them onto me in the comments, on twitter. Anything). Trigger warnings: torture, rape, child abuse, self harm, probably more things, just as if you're worried or want clarification. (Really, though, this is my current obsession, I just bought a sweatshirt related to and am actually wearing it as I type this. As one does).

The Original Sinners series by Tiffany Reisz (split into two subseries - The Red Years, The White Years). - dark BDSM erotica series. There are various characters who are gay, straight, bi, and I'm sure many other things, quite a few of them are POV characters. Michael is the most precious of them all. I would recommend reading the White years and then the Red years. Technically the red years are the "earlier" years but they're told through Nora telling them to people in the future, so you'll get super spoiled if your ead them first. Basically: Start with The Siren, then The Angel,  then Then Prince (feelings!!), and so on. Trigger warnings for a lot of things - if you're worried, just ask in the comments and I'll let you know, don't worry about being annoying or judgement. (I'd list them but I know I'd miss some)

#DiverseAThon | POC (#diversereads)

I'm not sure how I feel about the list I've collected here. Mostly because I feel like most of them are well known books - also a few that aren't by POC, only have POC characters. Which, of course, there's nothing wrong with, but I definitely have got to read more books with POC main characters. 

I'm currently reading Lightspeed: People of Colo(u)r Destory Science Fiction (Issue #73) and I'm only like 125 pages in but I already highly, highly recommend it. (Last year they did Queers Destory SciFi, which I have read one thing from but plan to read more of). There are, of course, some POC author/characters sprinkled in the other two recommendation posts going up this week so be sure to check out those - I list all the diverse themes in the books, with vague plot ideas, most really nothing (I like going in that way and would rather give people the choice of finding out for themselves).

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz - the MC is dominican, as the author himself is, and I am not sure why I loved it so much? Maybe because none of it was anything I think I'll ever experience? And it was beautifully written, just gorgeous, I am at a loss for words on what else to say I just loved it so much.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson - I mean, do I need to say anything? It's written in verse, I think it's won awards. It's beautiful and just - it's so good. (Apparently the audiobook is also amazing? She reads it herself, so when I reread, I'll probably go that route)

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco - the author is from the Philippines, and the whole book is set around a Japanese ghost story. (One I love) I should add that this is a horror book, YA, and has some creepy moment. I really enjoyed it.

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older - the more I think about this book the more I appreciate/love the crap out of it? It was so different then anything else I'd read in a while, at the time, and it's still so different and original. And I'm a little in love with New York and books set there. Let alone art that is more then what it seems. Author and MC POC, with multiple other POC as I remember (I don't remember any white characters but that might be wrong? Or it might of not said). (Also, shallow note,  the cover is fucking gorgeous).

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson - do I need to even say anything else? If you haven't at least read the first volume of this comic and you're a comic reader - what are you doing with your life?

The Wicked and the Divine  - an ongoing comic series. With various POC and queer characters, with an awesome story and gorgeous artwork. If you've been around, you've probably heard about this - if not, go forth and check it out.

Young Avengers - a comic series about this group of teenagers that become known as the Young Avengers. There are characters of color, queer characters. They're young and trying to keep some people safe - it's just so damn good. 

(Both The Wicked and the Divine and Young Avengers are by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie - who are obviously amazing are writing diverse casts of characters that people fall in love with)

March: Book One, Book Two, and Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell - if you haven't heard of this series of three graphic novels then I have a treat for you. John Lewis is a US Congressman, who also was a key figure in the civil rights movement. And these three books hold those stories. They made me angry, they made me proud (of their ability to be non-violent, that looks like the hardest thing in the world), and shed a lot of tears. A lot of tears. I haven't read book three yet, it just came out recently, but I have no doubt it'll make me feel all those things again, I'll have kleenex ready.

Showa: A History of Japan, 1926 - 1939 by Shigeru Mizuki - if you don't recognize the authors name, that's fine, but he apparently is known as the master of manga. These are illustrated and written by him - translated by Zack Davisson. There's four volumes and they cover a period of Japanese history I knew pretty much nothing about. They cover major events while still focusing on Mizuki's life, starting when he was a young child. I've only read this one so far, but it was incredible. Sadly, Mizuki passed away in 2015 but he's done something truly incredible. I can't wait to read more of this series and the rest of his work.

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol - so it's been a while. But the author is russian, as is the MC, and it has a heavy focus on immigration and then feeling/being different. And it was incredible. I don't want to say anything that isn't true, as it's been a while, but I did rate it 5/5, as with pretty much everything I recommend. 

Gene Luen Yang - I've read Boxers & Saints and American Born Chinese from him and both blew me away. I didn't know what to expect going into either, but they were incredible and gorgeous. There's more of his that I haven't read, which I want to, but I highly, highly recommend the ones I have.

Oh! I almost forget that manga is japanese. It's been a long, long week (month, year, life). Of course, I've talked about Fruits Basket multiple times. It's incredible, heartfelt, silly, adorable, and will make you cry - check it out. Also I've started Dimension W (the anime was so fucking good, the manga is looking to be just as good, I've only read volume 1 but 1-3 are out in the US). And also Deadman's Wonderland, which is not for the faint of heart - it's dark, gorey, strange, intense. But so damn good. And weird as fuck. If you read manga, let me know your favorites - especially if it's Fruits Basket. (You never forget your first)

I've got a good handful of books by POC authors I'd like to get to - also about, of course - so hopefully that'll happen sooner rather then later. If you've got any recommendations yourself that I shouldn't be missing out on - don't be shy to drop them in the comments. Or let me know your thoughts on these books. If you've read them already, if you're planning on picking one (or two, or three) up you haven't read yet.