Hay is a very small market town in Brecknockshire in Wales, very close to the English border and next to the river Wye. It is also the number one town for bibliophiles because there are more than two dozen bookshops, many of them second-hand or specialists.

There are books in small alleys, there’s a free range bookshop with an honesty box in front on the Castle, and they even transformed the old cinema into a gigantic bookshop! One bookshop has an entire room dedicated to different Penguin books, arranged by their colours.

There is also a book festival, the Hay Literary Festival, where the crème de la crème of international authors can be found in the summer. (I have yet to go there.)

If you want to visit and cannot go during the festival, go on a Thursday when there’s the market and you can buy fresh local or regional products in additions to all the books you didn’t think you needed.

It is my favourite place on Earth! Highly recommended. But beware: it’ll eat up all your money!

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Hay also had a king who very recently died: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-49406605

October 9 (Wed.), 4-6pm, Room E, IAAK — we will talk about Ursula Le Guin’s “The Lathe of Heaven”. I hope you will enjoy the book as much as I did!

November 7 (Thur.), 4-6pm, Room B, IAAK

December 5 (Thur.), 4-6pm & Ugly Sweater Day! Room B, IAAK

January 9 (Thur.), 4-6pm, Room B, IAAK

February 4 (Tue.), 4-6pm, Room A

Pictures from Hay on Wye (Y Gelli) and the giveaway’s winners favourite books of 2019 are coming soon-ish! Sorry about that but there is no stable internet connection in my rural cottage in Wales.

Short Summary: Bridget Collins “The Binding”
Thank you for the diverse and detailed discussion. We overall liked the book, even though we had some issues with it. I have sent your questions to Bridget and hope that she will answer them!
What we liked: good pacing, suspense / built-up, depiction of scenery, darkness, coming of age / adventure elements, becoming a binder, change of narrator, emotional connections, love story, unfolding of the story, emotional depth, mysteriousness, references to the Crusades, bindings vs. fake bindings vs. the bookmarket
What we disliked: anger issues, limitations of Emmett as a narrator (but “It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.” Thomas Hardy – limitations of him as a farmer’s boy), why was binding as a craft not explained, how does the magic work?, patronising form of a attraction, why is everybody so good-looking? Stereotypical!, history not explained enough /world-building could have been expanded, what about religion?
What we discussed: Is it a happy ending?, does magic need to make sense / how does binding work?, where does it take place?, religious allegories leading to where exactly?, Binding as healing or a cure or a curse?, land vs. the city, our lovers vs. their family background / education

Short Summary: Kirsty Logan’s “The Gloaming”
We absoluteley adored this book, which most of us found perfect in so many ways that it was hard to find negative things.
What we liked: great cover, relationship between the siblings really good, felt real in a very weird place, strong family dynamics in general, poetic language, turning into stone: relief, escape?, no stereotypical beauties as protagonists, love and how it changes the way we see people, books as the thing that brings people together (*sigh*), Bee as a surprising storyteller, good open ending, meta elements: selkie identity interesting, framing women as Other = mixed race –> addressed in the text very well, fairy tale elements / folklore elements
What we disliked: expected more magic and world-building, too much fairy tale?, projecting a narrative too much on Pearl?
Things we additionally discussed: magic in daily life and the belief that the sea will give something back (Bee’s way of dying), sense of time in the relationship (int. vs. ext. time in emotional states hard to estimate), how rituals work, leaving the island is choosing your fate, turning into stoneas a metaphor

I am very much looking forward to our meeting tomorrow at 6pm in the English Department (Room E, second floor, aaaall the way down the corridor). I’ll bring tea, you’ll bring cups and snacks!

Thank you for all the beautiful submissions for the giveaway. Here are the four winners:

1. Runa wins a copy of “Pachinko”

2. Stefanie wins a copy of “After Hope Dies”

3. Eszter wins the little Hermione, and

4. Eleanor wins a bookmark!

Thank you everyone for submitting little texts about your favourite books. They will be published this month. I already got another giveaway planned, so do not fret. The odds may yet be in your favour 😉

I will bring your winnings to the meeting tomorrow!

I have some free books on my hands (because I got them twice) for you to win!

What you have to do: Submit 3-4 sentences (plus a picture if you like) of your favourite book of 2019 so far, to be published on the blog.

Winners will be chosen randomly, please let me know which book you’d be interested in. Submit your short text (and maybe picture) to mshecke@uni-bonn.de by August 31, 2019. Winners will be announced here. You should be a member of BSFG to win. Feel free to sign up though 🙂

You can also win a little Hermione figure and other little bookish consolation prizes 🙂

What can you win?

1. “After Hope Dies” by Lilly Haraden. Summary taken from Amazon:

“This is what happens after America dies: th monsters take over. A young
prostitute’s reanimated soul prowls the streets, seeking revenge against
her killers. The reclusive nerd who lives next door suffers from a
serious problem that goes far beyond the time-bending demon infesting
his body. And across town, an occult guide owns a brothel where you can
buy a child for cheap.Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this
dark literary fantasy debut examines life for the most disadvantaged who
call post-prosperity America home.

Advanced Praise: “Stunningly beautiful
language…” “The writing is beautiful, the concept is clever, and the
actual stories at the centre are captivating. I really loved the
characters and how flawed but endearing they are.” “It definitely is not
meant to be a happy story but it is a good one.” “The publisher’s warning
should definitely be taken seriously.”

Publisher’s note: This story
includes racist content, depictions of rape and strong themes of child
sexualisation/exploitation. If these topics upset you, consider if this
story is right for you. 50% author royalties will go to charity until
publication costs recovered, and a higher percentage thereafter.Modern
Fantasy, Dystopic Future, Magic Realism, Literary Fiction, Metafiction,
Racial Dystopic Fantasy”

If you like meta fiction, Sin City Style stories & content, and can deal with things like (trigger warning!): violence, sexual violence, rape, (sexual) exploitation of minors or hardcore racism, you might enjoy this very weird book! It’s a very dark read in parts but definitely not without hope! (I rated it with 4/5 Stars but had a hard time reading it in parts, very rewarding ending though.)

2. “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee (Not fantasy!), Summary taken from Amazon as well:

“* Shortlisted for the National Book Award * * One of the New York
Times’s 10 Best Books of 2017 * * Selected for Emma Watson’s Our Shared
Shelf book club * ‘This is a captivating book … Min Jin Lee’s novel
takes us through four generations and each character’s search for
identity and success. It’s a powerful story about resilience and
compassion’ BARACK OBAMA. Yeongdo, Korea 1911. In a small fishing
village on the banks of the East Sea, a club-footed, cleft-lipped man
marries a fifteen-year-old girl. The couple have one child, their
beloved daughter Sunja. When Sunja falls pregnant by a married yakuza,
the family face ruin. But then Isak, a Christian minister, offers her a
chance of salvation: a new life in Japan as his wife. Following a man
she barely knows to a hostile country in which she has no friends, no
home, and whose language she cannot speak, Sunja’s salvation is just the
beginning of her story. Through eight decades and four generations,
Pachinko is an epic tale of family, identity, love, death and survival.”

If you are interested in a Buddenbrooks Style novel about Korea, making history and conflicts with Japan more intimate, this book might be for you. (I rated it with 5/5 stars and loved it a lot!)

GOOD LUCK and spread the word!

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Thanks for the beautiful pictures! One was even taken in Edinburgh! Stay hydrated and read a book 🙂 Also watch this space, some free books are incoming…

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Our next meeting will take place on September 4, 6pm in Room E (IAAK). We will talk about our “Queer Summer” Reads, “The Binding” (Collins) and “The Gloaming” (Logan). If you want to we can continue our discussions in the pub after a bit. 😉

Please also remember to let me know whether you want to know the books for the next semester in advance (KNOWLEDGE) or if you would prefer to be surprised (SURPRISE). Comment on this post, make use of the Discord channel or write an email. I am looking forward to our meeting in September. A Doodle for BSFG meetings during the winter term will come soon-ish.

Thanks for this picture! If you took a bookish picture, send it to me!

We also briefly talked about Juliet Marillier, a Kiwi author of historical, Celtic fantasy novels, whose adult fantasy debut novel, “Daughter of the Forest”, is a mixture of a classic fairy tale (The Six Swans), the Irish Children of Lir legend and real life, Medieval Ireland. Sorcha, the youngest sister of six brothers, has to save her brothers from the enchantment of an evil witch by knitting six shirts from nettle plants whilst remaining mute. Falling in love with her ‘captor’ makes her task even more problematic.

The Sevenwaters Series consists of seven novels in total, covering four generations of Sevenwater children. It is set in the 9th century where Irish Celts are fighting against the Britons while trying to maintain close relation to nature, otherworldly creatures and the ‘old ways’. The mixture of historical references, folklore, fantasy with a distinct Celtic touch and romance / family drama elements make these novels worthwhile if you are into this traditional kind of fantasy. However, do not read too many of them at once or it will get a bit boring. Read up on her books (there are more series and also upcoming novels): http://www.julietmarillier.com/

Stephanie Garber is not only the young author of the bestselling Caraval Series, consisting of three books in total, but she also teaches creative writing. Check out some resources here if you are writing yourself: http://stephaniegarberauthor.com/writer-resources/ The first book, “Caraval”, tells the story of two sisters fleeing from their violent father seeking to marry them off as fast as possible, to attend a mysterious Caraval show on an island. Caraval is an event where the audience takes part, where reality and fantasy mash and magic transforms everybody. This Caraval, Scarlett has to learn that not everything is what it seems to be and that a darker secret may lurk just around the corner.

As nobody was at the meeting who had read the books, this is my personal statement: I loved how the boundaries between reality and fantasy in this secondary world vanished in the game of book one, yet I could not really get into the next two instalments as the protagonist’s (romantic) journey just was not interesting enough for me in comparison to the first book. If you are into a clean read with YA protagonists, a lot of romance and a decent plot full of mysteries and secrets to be unravelled, this might be for you.

If your opinion differs, write a short piece why you love “Caraval” and I’d love to (anonymously) publish it here. 🙂 I know this is a huge favourite of some of you!

We talked about Rebecca Roanhorse’s award winning book “Trail of Lightning” (not Lighting, see below) in our last session of this semester. Thank you, brave souls, for being there. (You can still catch up on Roanhorse: email me and I can give you a copy!)

We all liked this very fast-paced, Navajo inspired urban fantasy novel:
– even though the beginning was confusing, it was nice to have to research to know what is going on
– Maggie as a character is complex and likeable, traumatic past was believable and not stereotypical
– gory beginning was shocking, especially because of the first person narration
– story wasn’t forseeable, thus entertaining and it mixed many different stories together
– clan powers are super cool magic although confusing

Things we discussed:
– some of us would have preferred it to be less fast-paced and would love to see the world-building expanded, and we would also like to know more about what happened to the rest of the world
– sixth World not explained: creation myth of Navajo People –> read up on the first five worlds here (super entertaining and interesting!): https://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TheFirstWorld-Navajo.html
– we loved Coyote, the trickster God, but not what happened in the end of the novel
– pronunciation of names was hard –> audiobook might have been helpful
– cultural Appropriation discussion: Roanhorse was accused by some Navajo people of cultural appropriation as she is not of Navajo heritage herself (though married to a Navajo person + she has lived and worked in this culture for a long time): https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/opinion/trail-of-lightning-is-an-appropriation-of-din%C3%A9-cultural-beliefs-4tvSMvEfNE-i7AE10W7nQg/ —> We, as white privileged people, do not have an opinion that counts or matters in this context, however we believe that writers should not merely be limited to what they know (which is also problematic in itself, e.g. queer people only allowed to write about queer issues etc.), yet caution, research, respect (and maybe sensitivity readers) should be employed in connection to literary freedom. People from the specific groups can then be judge.

You will find answers Roanhorse provided for my class on Discord! 🙂

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BSFG had the honour to skype with Philip K. Dick Award winning author Meg Elison and talk about her books (say hi @megelison on twitter!) – we talked for an hour about a variety of topics. Here is a brief summary for those who could not make it.

– Inspiration for the book: female perspective as post-apocalyptic novels often feature a male protagonist –> gendered apocalypse
– Queer characters: protagonist bisexual (attracted also to non-binary or gender fluid persons, too), ace character (Jodie), latter books: trans* characters
– Main protagonist unnamed just like the protagonist in Du Maurier’s “Rebecca” –> chooses names ambiguous in gender for herself (“Dusty”), her name “truly only belongs to herself”; “Jane” –> Jane Doe –> anonymity
– Mormons: chosen because they are uniquely American, have a cohesive end of the world plan (preppers: have food and water for two years in your home), very well done as people thought Meg was LDS member herself (she isn’t)
– “Book of Roxanne” was hard to write: inspiration drawn from the treatment of women in refugee camps; rate of violent crimes goes way up
– Spectrum of male behaviour was incorporated in the novels, e.g. Jack is trying to be as good as he can; yet collective trauma of persons identifying as female in connection to harassment, sexual violence etc.; some male readers felt guilty; problem of misinterpreting consent as “there isn’t a hard line”; rape scene not eroticised and not explicit
– Trans* characters in books #2 and #3: representation matters, sensitivity readers made sure that it was good representation; she wrote “the gayest book you possibly can”
– Should one be limited to write only about the things one knows? – No. “You can write absolutely everything.” –> research, respect, sensitivity readers

We would like to thank Meg for taking time to talk to us early in the morning and making our day!

Two more copies of “The Book of the Unnamed Midwife” are available at Witsch&Behrendt. Go get them!

I am very much looking forward to our ‘Skype Date’ with Meg! Please be on time & bring lots of questions!

Please also remember that we changed the room (it’s now Room A) because of the WiFi.

This is going to be great!

(Piture shows the next two installments which have different protagonists and are set later than “Midwife”. They have wonderful Trans* characters in them!)