2019 Femme FanTale Challenge

Beginning last year, I agreed with myself that I would read books representing more diverse points of view. The FemmeFanTale readathon is one of the challenges I’m participating in for 2019 to challenge myself to find interesting and diverse books.

Femme Fantale Readathon

This challenge is easy and enjoyable for me. Female authors, fantasy/scifi theme. Boom.

Topic Bingo

I’ve come up with a list of books to start with, and based on the Femme FanTale groupings, I think this is how they fit. Of course, I haven’t actually read them all!

Queer: Reportedly The Girls of Paper and Fire and The Priory of the Orange Tree contain queer content. I know that The Omega Objection is chock full of queer.

Romance: The Omega Objection is basically a paranormal queer romance, and I’m SURE at least one other book contains romance. I think definitely Heart’s Blood. Oh wait, Roar of Sky is fairly romantic.

Inspired by Myth: Akata Witch is supposed to be African folklore (here are four more) and Heart’s Blood likely fulfills this brief with Celtic stories

Translated Fiction: So few options! I found this Tor article and this Reddit question from Robin Hobb which led me to Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (and my non-female addition We, The Children of Cats)

Standalone: The Priory of the Orange Tree and Heart’s Blood. Kind of amazing all the rest are part of series. Fantasy!

BAME author (Black, Asian, minority ethnic): The Parable of the Sower (Octavia E. Butler), The Girls of Paper and Fire (Natasha Ngan), Akata Witch (Nnedi Okorafor), and The Fifth Season (N.K. Jemisin)

I’ll note other books also contain significant characters of ethnic minority, non-western folklore, and at least one I know of dealing with physical disability, since I’m intentionally trying to read in diversity of viewpoints.

Fairytale Retelling: The Bear and the Nightingale is taken from Slavic folktales. It’s possible Heart’s Blood is this or mythology, as Marillier often writes this type.

Novella: Wings of Sorrow and Bone, (novella of the Clockwork Dagger series by Beth Cato, also read both CD books and all three novellas, this was my favorite of the novellas) I also just read The Lost Sisters which is a Folk of the Air novella which goes alongside The Wicked King from Holly Black.

Published Pre–2000: the 1994 Nebula Award-winning Parable of the Sower

Historical Fantasy: Roar of Fire is alt-historical fantasy (early 20th century America), and Enchantee is as well (French Revolution)

YA: Enchantee is billed as YA, and The Wicked King is as well. I read Parable of the Sower is now considered dystopian YA.

Adult: So … does this mean “just-not-YA” or you know, adult content? If the former, Six of Crows (which I’m not sure fits into any other category), and if the latter add The Omega Objection.