Thank you, Lisa, for this beautiful flyer! ❤

You wanted this, so you’re getting this.

Each week (either on a Monday or a Friday), we’ll watch a Miyazaki Movie. We’ll start at 8pm sharp and use the #miyazakimondays channel on our Discord Server to chat away. So get yourself some popcorn, force your flatmate to watch the movie with you (and us) and ENJOY!

May 18: “My Neighbour Totoro”
May 29: “Spirited Away”
June 5: “The Cat Returns”
June 12: “Castle in the Sky”
June 15: “Princess Mononoke”
June 22: “The Wind Rises”
June 29: “Porco Rosso”
July 6: “Arrietty”
July 13: “Ponyo”
July 24: “When Marnie was there”
July 29: “Pom Poko”

You can sign up for BSFG at any point! Just contact Marthe –> mshecke[at]uni-bonn.de

Our current read is “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers. If you’ve got the time and finances, please also read her novella “To Be Taught If Fortunate”. It’s so good too!

The July read will be announced at the end of May.

I’m looking forward to ‘seeing’ you next Monday!
Best
Marthe

PS: TOTOROOOOOOOOOOOOOO
PPS: Got any Miyazaki inspired art for me? Bookish pictures? 🙂

What we liked about the novel:

• Liked the writing style, simple yet effective, tone of the characters mirrored the emotions, simple language worked with the story
• Tone of the book interesting: old-fashioned, felt like a children’s book, very adult topics
• Characters –> individual feeling to them
• Calcifer
• Hands-on magic approach –> potion, powders
• Setting of the book great, inside of the castle, cozy, village, shops, life-like, endearing, little town, so many details, doors unique and yet interesting
• Take on age –> great, perks of being older; “old people are supposed to be weird”, vs. ageism, everybody has to be young and beautiful
• Cozy feeling that the book gave me: welcoming, distraction
• Meta-comments: referencing Shakespeare, Alice in Wonderland, fairy tale stereotypes (number 3)
• The Eldest: new take on fairy tales
• How everything came together: random meetings, frees the dog, all characters return in some way –> neat
• Funny, hilarious
• Expression of emotions vs. completely ignores them
• Sophie as the protagonist à transformation: accepts –> speaks like an old woman –> realizes it’s shock or trauma later; moment of transformation well written; she isn’t even mad at first
• Howl: we loved him, defending the spiders, chaotic, all over the place, seems simple but is fairly complex as a character, drama queen, powerful, talented, capable, so many flaws, logic: has to fake that he’s not doing it à in order to be able to do it –> not fond of fighting
• Sophie IMBA –> character growth, talking magic into things
• Female nemesis
• Insistent on keeping his dirty room –> stubborn
• Misled at the beginning –> “teeth” –> bathroom products à beauty products
• The sisters: cheeky, cute, everyone was in love with “Lettie” (several ones of them)

What did you dislike?

• Couldn’t be placed entirely: fairy tale, wizards / witches, portal quest, Wales –> what was the novel aiming at? –> cannot be easily placed: man stitched together from two others (gruesome); book can be read by children and adults alike –> positive: mixture of genres; added a lot of complexity –> smaller elements that made the story more interesting and not predictable
• Too many characters –> confusing; mixed identities
• Ending: rushed, confusing, unclear
• Portal fantasy thing weird, fun but weird
• Wales interesting; but weird as contrast; anachronisms –> nobody cared
• Other worlds just a bit random; no explanation –> how did they end up there?
• Movie Howl better
• Problematic parts: womanizer identity now problematic and not as funny as when we read it as a kid; performance annoying –> this is where we prefer the movie
• Plotlines confusing –> too many plotlines –> confusing –> importance weird –> a bit much

I received the cutest letter today! 😍 It’s Katsu from “The Watchmaker of Filigree Street” by Natasha Pulley!

THANK YOU!

Becky Chambers The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is BSFG’s June read. It’s deeply human, funny, and wholesome. And queer!

Please support your local bookstore. The majority also delivers books! 😍

What you liked:

• Setting felt very authentic, comfortable, not overwhelming with historical details
• Mechanical octopus Katsu ❤
• Characters cool, not annoying –> a very good sign
• Thaniel felt ordinary –> relatable, not over the top
• Diversity: very different from each other
• Keita, Thaniel, Grace –> balanced
• Different cultural backgrounds
• Tea making rituals
• Conflict of Grace and Keita started to escalate –> fate vs. free will –> felt very intimate
• Mechanics of Mori’s clairvoyance –> about probability
• Steampunk, magical realism –> best genre categorization –> Zafón books reminded us of him, Murakami also quite close
• Writing style –> quiet, details matter
• Enjoyed the different genre –> didn’t know where the story would go
• Was not boring
• Grace nice –> surprising ‘villain’ –> antagonist –> slow and harmonic way –> surprise –> many layered conflict with Keita
• Ether/science vs. clairvoyance/magic
• Rooted for Thaniel and Mori; surprise!; felt sudden; quietness of the romance –> subtle, hints –> unexpected; not the focus on their relationship –> homophobia could be problematic
• Japanese character, how he was portrayed, polite, reserved
• Historical background: Clan na Gael –> thought it would become a spy mystery –> “sharp turn, goes in one way, then it grabs you, and pulls you to the side”, not a whodunnit as expected
• Katsu = Japanese food; well researched; well written for a first novel
• Relaxing / calming -> right for these times

What you disliked:

• Disappointed about the Japanese content –> why use this approach? –> less than an creative endeavor –> academic background thrown around? (Not everybody agreed.)
• Mori didn’t want to use the first name –> not appropriate –> unless in a fight, married –> include of the culture –> you can always delve deeper into a character –> “on the fence” with the first point of criticism
• Got lost with Grace’s science –> didn’t work out for all of us
• Clockwork parts –> technological miracles, AI Katsu, nobody is interested in the world –> not really a steampunk novel
• Magical realism: accept the magic, think it’s mechanical –> downplaying –> fits the story –> we all just accept it
• Writing style: calmness nice, but in conversations –> lost
• Pace a bit slow in times –> daily routines –> topic of novel, but also a bit more action would have been nice

Thanks a lot for the discussing that I enjoyed a lot. I am also thankful that there’s a variety of people showing up at meetings even though there are some brave souls reading all the books I pick!

Stay safe & take care! I am looking forward to talking about “Howl’s Moving Castle” via Discord in May!

BSFG March 24,  2020

„All Systems Red“

• What did you like? –> Murderbot as a protagonist very funny, “too many series to watch”, space & science fiction nice; good story on few pages, did not felt rushed /// reminded of the first Alien movie = organic, realistic sci-fi world without too much dys/utopia, story told from POV of a machine /// humour of Murderbot –> member told partner the entire plot, challenged to think about identity in pronouns & doesn’t fit into binary systems & “it” –> notice more when other people talk about Murderbot –> felt degrading in parts –> was not meant to be harmful
• Criticism: the ending before the enemy was defeated –> felt rushed, knocked out –> you don’t get to know what happens; too fast-paced; ends with a cliff-hanger –> not so happy about it; plot solid but underdeveloped (too generic), ending predictable, revelations boring, telling the story through the eyes of murderbot –> why is Murderbot so human?–>did not make much sense? –> felt stupid?; others disagrees à it is explained / made plausible, watches so many tv series; counter: why was it watching it for the first time?; Murderbot so human à what makes a person a person –> assign identity / personhood (take it away by using pronouns, “it” instead of “they”) /// what makes us human? Turing problem. // Mind over matter? /// social anxiety made it more human /// thought of it as a person à make connections with other people –> emotions –> can it feel emotions? –>social anxiety? –> embarrassment felt –> see it as a person –> not limit a person (in German male pronouns) –> the way the others treated it made it feel like it only pretended to be human /// side characters –> sci-fi scientists –> did not start a witch hunt when they found about murderbot, skeptical –> organic way /// found family –> friends –> adopted /// spiritual ending: identity search –> cowboy riding into the sunset // also a bit sad //// searching for one’s identity after achieving freedom à family would have been restrictions /// not as deep as you wanted it to be /// would read it /// funny // see all

„Binti“

• What did you like? –> world-building into small book –> different people & species –> little examples made it feel it very vivid –> hair coded which related to her people; /// fast-paced, tiny novella –> so much happened –> living spaceship really cool; /// mathematics = sort of magic –> Himba /// space university /// Afrofuturism / Africanfuturism (Okorafor prefers this concept) –> not based on Western culture /// recent and actual discussions at space university –> artefact –> our reality connected to something spacey –> mind-boggeling // intellectually challenging /// give something back from colonial times /// magic system // beginning really cool /// discriminated against for her hair à hair then an advantage /// introspective things /// flashbacks
• Critcism: pacing fast, dragging in other parts –> needed a bit more time, after everyone was murdered –> did not feel right that one of the medusa could go to space university then too /// felt very YA-ish /// deus ex machine –> magical artefact /// otijze can heal the wounds was a bit too much /// meduse committed war crimes –> trying to not make them the sole enemy  /// ending rushed /// did not feel logical /// synopsis –> did not see them being friends –> more telling than showing –>crafted in a very simple fashion –>very strange ending –> would have needed more time & space /// both sides are bad /// Binti can still make peace –> handled wrong in the novella /// Binti traumatized /// cannot put things on the same level /// novella should have been longer –> spend more time on the repercussions /// shocking à we liked the world building more than the story

„Every Heart a Doorway“

• What did you like about it? Transboy, ace character –> representation in novella already easy /// felt more like a children’s book /// quirky characters /// also very adult /// idea of post-portal-fantasy survivor group with “Silence of the Lambs” /// environment from all the different worlds –> logistics really got some of us hooked /// survivor community /// deconstruction of fantasy /// concept / idea brilliant –> staying? What happens after that? /// unexpected turn in the middle –> nice, surprising /// premise incredibly strong –> new ideas about portal fantasy great /// characters seriously damaged –> wanted to go back even though all of them wanted to go back –> adapt to new situations, adapt to new situations /// problematic nature of all the dark princes and dark lords –> exposed as being problematic and harmful /// humour was great –> Jack mad scientist // do teenagers talk like that? /// they aren’t normal teenagers any longer –> nonsense world –> lost grasp on what we think of as normal /// they are not normal and that’s ok /// characters were nice –> most important for a story /// school –> getting to know together etc. /// safe space –> supportive headmistress –> understanding
• Criticism: the ending was predictable and rushed, murderer not shocking /// murder mystery part was disliked –> unexpected –> negative thing –> wanted another story /// mystery not so mysterious –> how the murders were treated –> way they deal with death was weird  –> incredibly insensitive –> made us dislike some characters –> how the body was treated –> felt terrible /// balancing flimsy parts and heavy parts not well done here /// all done on purpose to show how weird the worlds are –> fit /// social dynamics would have been more interesting /// mean girl narratives –> judge each other / novel punishes the popular girls –> one of the mean ones, not needed to mourn them /// female support important /// too simplistic / think more about it à skeleton indicates space next to Jack /// first half brilliant

Thank you for the great discussions via Discord! 🙂

Our May read will be “Howl’s Moving Castle” by Dianna Wynne Jones! We’ll talk via Discord and then (if you want to) watch the movie together (Netflix watch party or something like that).

If you’d like to join BSFG, contact Marthe and she’ll sign you right up! 🙂

In order to stay safe, I’ve made the decision to let the next two meetings, March 24 & some date in early April (please Doodle) happen via Discord. It’s safer for all of us to stay at home. However, this does not mean that we cannot talk about books!

So you get yourself a nice cuppa, some snacks, and tune in. You don’t need to talk if you don’t want to. Feel free to listen!

I’d also like to fill this blog and Instagram with as many bookish pictures as possible: Tell me three things about your current read that you like, take a picture of your reading spot, take a picture of your pets. Let’s get through these trying times with nice chats, books, and wholesome pictures.

If you’d like to sign up or know somebody who’d like to sign up, contact me: mshecke@uni-bonn.de

Thanks again to BSFG member Runa who travelled to one of my favourite bookshops and provided me with pictures. “Gay’s the Word” is one of the coolest London based bookshops, specialising in queer literature: http://gaystheword.co.uk/ You might know them from one of my alltime favourite movies too “Pride”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsFY0wHpR5o

I mean, just look at the pictures, it’s beautiful! You should all go there!

Thanks so much for the pictures! If you’ve found a beautiful bookshop and want BSFG members to know about it, feel free to email me!

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