Melissa, A Watkins(also a writer and a bookworm)
@eqreader.bsky.social
Fast reader, slow writer, ethical tech and education, stealth introvert, openly grouchy.
Words in The Magazine of F&SF, Fantasy, khoreo, Lightspeed, and others..
Reviews and rambles at www.equalopportunityreader.com
Words in The Magazine of F&SF, Fantasy, khoreo, Lightspeed, and others..
Reviews and rambles at www.equalopportunityreader.com
Esperance, Adam Oyebanji
Oh this was GOOD good. Totally surprised me. Wrote it up for May Lightspeed, will say more then.
Oh this was GOOD good. Totally surprised me. Wrote it up for May Lightspeed, will say more then.
March 21, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Esperance, Adam Oyebanji
Oh this was GOOD good. Totally surprised me. Wrote it up for May Lightspeed, will say more then.
Oh this was GOOD good. Totally surprised me. Wrote it up for May Lightspeed, will say more then.
The Get-Together, by @ctaylorbutler.bsky.social, illustrated by Lonnie Ollivierre.
Picture book about a multi-generational family gathering. So much fun, and beautifully illustrated. Got this for a kid I know, want to keep it for myself.
Picture book about a multi-generational family gathering. So much fun, and beautifully illustrated. Got this for a kid I know, want to keep it for myself.
March 12, 2025 at 7:52 PM
The Get-Together, by @ctaylorbutler.bsky.social, illustrated by Lonnie Ollivierre.
Picture book about a multi-generational family gathering. So much fun, and beautifully illustrated. Got this for a kid I know, want to keep it for myself.
Picture book about a multi-generational family gathering. So much fun, and beautifully illustrated. Got this for a kid I know, want to keep it for myself.
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted A Love Potion At A Werewolf, by Kimberly Lemming.
Lemming really doesn't miss with her Blackety-Black monster romances--they're always cute, hot, and laugh out loud funny. I will say I wasn't expecting the tentacles, though.
Lemming really doesn't miss with her Blackety-Black monster romances--they're always cute, hot, and laugh out loud funny. I will say I wasn't expecting the tentacles, though.
March 12, 2025 at 7:50 PM
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted A Love Potion At A Werewolf, by Kimberly Lemming.
Lemming really doesn't miss with her Blackety-Black monster romances--they're always cute, hot, and laugh out loud funny. I will say I wasn't expecting the tentacles, though.
Lemming really doesn't miss with her Blackety-Black monster romances--they're always cute, hot, and laugh out loud funny. I will say I wasn't expecting the tentacles, though.
Southern Comfort, by Sandra Kitt
Bougie beach romance by one of the Black romance OGs. So cute. Sooooo dated! (Although it was published in '04, not '94 as I'd assumed.) Scratched a good nostalgia itch.
Bougie beach romance by one of the Black romance OGs. So cute. Sooooo dated! (Although it was published in '04, not '94 as I'd assumed.) Scratched a good nostalgia itch.
March 12, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Southern Comfort, by Sandra Kitt
Bougie beach romance by one of the Black romance OGs. So cute. Sooooo dated! (Although it was published in '04, not '94 as I'd assumed.) Scratched a good nostalgia itch.
Bougie beach romance by one of the Black romance OGs. So cute. Sooooo dated! (Although it was published in '04, not '94 as I'd assumed.) Scratched a good nostalgia itch.
A Palace Near The Wind, Ai Jiang
Ecological science fantasy with a lot of interesting twists and a painfully naive main character. Wrote about it for April Lightspeed so won't say more here.
Ecological science fantasy with a lot of interesting twists and a painfully naive main character. Wrote about it for April Lightspeed so won't say more here.
March 12, 2025 at 7:34 PM
A Palace Near The Wind, Ai Jiang
Ecological science fantasy with a lot of interesting twists and a painfully naive main character. Wrote about it for April Lightspeed so won't say more here.
Ecological science fantasy with a lot of interesting twists and a painfully naive main character. Wrote about it for April Lightspeed so won't say more here.
The Coddling of the American Mind, by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff
Oooooh, I hated this book.
Great reference section tho.
Oooooh, I hated this book.
Great reference section tho.
March 12, 2025 at 7:27 PM
The Coddling of the American Mind, by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff
Oooooh, I hated this book.
Great reference section tho.
Oooooh, I hated this book.
Great reference section tho.
Condomnauts by Yoss, translated by David Frye
REALLY weird sci-fi about a class of intergalactic sex workers who are also first contact alien ambassadors. The main character is a queer Afro-Cubano but still a little heavy on the regressive machismo for me. Also--content warnings abound.
REALLY weird sci-fi about a class of intergalactic sex workers who are also first contact alien ambassadors. The main character is a queer Afro-Cubano but still a little heavy on the regressive machismo for me. Also--content warnings abound.
March 12, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Condomnauts by Yoss, translated by David Frye
REALLY weird sci-fi about a class of intergalactic sex workers who are also first contact alien ambassadors. The main character is a queer Afro-Cubano but still a little heavy on the regressive machismo for me. Also--content warnings abound.
REALLY weird sci-fi about a class of intergalactic sex workers who are also first contact alien ambassadors. The main character is a queer Afro-Cubano but still a little heavy on the regressive machismo for me. Also--content warnings abound.
The Very Fat Conker, Enid Blyton. Read this as a kid and it's been tickling the edges of my memory lately so tracked it down. Will refrain from making boredom in the pre-TV age jokes.
March 12, 2025 at 7:12 PM
The Very Fat Conker, Enid Blyton. Read this as a kid and it's been tickling the edges of my memory lately so tracked it down. Will refrain from making boredom in the pre-TV age jokes.
Nigerian Men Will Stain Your White, by Alexandria Humphrey
I wanted to love this, heard good things, but it doesn't feel finished? It's kind of a Lagos Waiting To Exhale vibe. Also(spoiler) promises homophobia in the sequel. Gross.
I wanted to love this, heard good things, but it doesn't feel finished? It's kind of a Lagos Waiting To Exhale vibe. Also(spoiler) promises homophobia in the sequel. Gross.
January 29, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Nigerian Men Will Stain Your White, by Alexandria Humphrey
I wanted to love this, heard good things, but it doesn't feel finished? It's kind of a Lagos Waiting To Exhale vibe. Also(spoiler) promises homophobia in the sequel. Gross.
I wanted to love this, heard good things, but it doesn't feel finished? It's kind of a Lagos Waiting To Exhale vibe. Also(spoiler) promises homophobia in the sequel. Gross.
Rangikura, by Tayo Tibble. Gutsy, vulnerable poetry collection by a young Maori woman. Section 2, a long prose poem titled Little, is one of the most painful beating hearts I've read in a while.
January 29, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Rangikura, by Tayo Tibble. Gutsy, vulnerable poetry collection by a young Maori woman. Section 2, a long prose poem titled Little, is one of the most painful beating hearts I've read in a while.
Oooh look what just arrived...
January 24, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Oooh look what just arrived...
I'm on the Stoker preliminary ballot. Holy schnikeys.
Thank you, annoying teenaged boy's voice in my head that wouldn't leave.
Thank you, annoying teenaged boy's voice in my head that wouldn't leave.
January 23, 2025 at 1:09 AM
I'm on the Stoker preliminary ballot. Holy schnikeys.
Thank you, annoying teenaged boy's voice in my head that wouldn't leave.
Thank you, annoying teenaged boy's voice in my head that wouldn't leave.
Nooo! Noooooooooo!
I thought we all knew not to do this anymore!?!
I thought...*sob*...we knew...
I thought we all knew not to do this anymore!?!
I thought...*sob*...we knew...
January 21, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Nooo! Noooooooooo!
I thought we all knew not to do this anymore!?!
I thought...*sob*...we knew...
I thought we all knew not to do this anymore!?!
I thought...*sob*...we knew...
Crazy As Hell, by V. Efua Prince and Hoke S. Glover
Great little book of irreverent, thought-provoking, wildly disparate Black history vignettes.
Great little book of irreverent, thought-provoking, wildly disparate Black history vignettes.
January 15, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Crazy As Hell, by V. Efua Prince and Hoke S. Glover
Great little book of irreverent, thought-provoking, wildly disparate Black history vignettes.
Great little book of irreverent, thought-provoking, wildly disparate Black history vignettes.
Oof.
(from Rangikura: Poems, by Tayi Tibble)
(from Rangikura: Poems, by Tayi Tibble)
January 14, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Oof.
(from Rangikura: Poems, by Tayi Tibble)
(from Rangikura: Poems, by Tayi Tibble)
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, by P. Djeli Clark
Weird and wild and FUN, with the usual immersive worldbuilding and high stakes action. Also, this features maybe the best sudden appearance of Phenomenal Cosmic Power that I've read in a looooong while.
Weird and wild and FUN, with the usual immersive worldbuilding and high stakes action. Also, this features maybe the best sudden appearance of Phenomenal Cosmic Power that I've read in a looooong while.
January 13, 2025 at 3:44 AM
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, by P. Djeli Clark
Weird and wild and FUN, with the usual immersive worldbuilding and high stakes action. Also, this features maybe the best sudden appearance of Phenomenal Cosmic Power that I've read in a looooong while.
Weird and wild and FUN, with the usual immersive worldbuilding and high stakes action. Also, this features maybe the best sudden appearance of Phenomenal Cosmic Power that I've read in a looooong while.
The Unworthy, by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses.
This is not as disturbing as Tender Is The Flesh but whew it's close. At least it's rampantly abusive religion and climate disaster instead of cannibalism, this time.
This is not as disturbing as Tender Is The Flesh but whew it's close. At least it's rampantly abusive religion and climate disaster instead of cannibalism, this time.
January 13, 2025 at 3:41 AM
The Unworthy, by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses.
This is not as disturbing as Tender Is The Flesh but whew it's close. At least it's rampantly abusive religion and climate disaster instead of cannibalism, this time.
This is not as disturbing as Tender Is The Flesh but whew it's close. At least it's rampantly abusive religion and climate disaster instead of cannibalism, this time.
The Earl Who Isn't, by Courtney Milan
Books like this British East Asian regency romance in which a guy grapples with desire and relationships through the lens of sexual responsibility are exactly why I ride so hard for romance. No other genre does this so transparently.
Also Courtney Milan so 🌟
Books like this British East Asian regency romance in which a guy grapples with desire and relationships through the lens of sexual responsibility are exactly why I ride so hard for romance. No other genre does this so transparently.
Also Courtney Milan so 🌟
January 13, 2025 at 3:39 AM
The Earl Who Isn't, by Courtney Milan
Books like this British East Asian regency romance in which a guy grapples with desire and relationships through the lens of sexual responsibility are exactly why I ride so hard for romance. No other genre does this so transparently.
Also Courtney Milan so 🌟
Books like this British East Asian regency romance in which a guy grapples with desire and relationships through the lens of sexual responsibility are exactly why I ride so hard for romance. No other genre does this so transparently.
Also Courtney Milan so 🌟
There's this presient vs predictive debate going on around Octavia Butler and the CA fires but no mention of how Butler's depiction of fire in Altadena was also personal.
These pages are from Ibi Zoboi's middle-grade biography of Butler, titled Star Child..
These pages are from Ibi Zoboi's middle-grade biography of Butler, titled Star Child..
January 13, 2025 at 1:45 AM
There's this presient vs predictive debate going on around Octavia Butler and the CA fires but no mention of how Butler's depiction of fire in Altadena was also personal.
These pages are from Ibi Zoboi's middle-grade biography of Butler, titled Star Child..
These pages are from Ibi Zoboi's middle-grade biography of Butler, titled Star Child..
The squirrels in my neighborhood are so photogenic.
January 11, 2025 at 9:25 PM
The squirrels in my neighborhood are so photogenic.
The Golden Girls: The Way We Met, a Little Golden Book by Derek Elmer, illustrated by Shane Clester.
Just as fun and camp and ridiculous and cute as you'd expect.
Just as fun and camp and ridiculous and cute as you'd expect.
January 2, 2025 at 7:34 PM
The Golden Girls: The Way We Met, a Little Golden Book by Derek Elmer, illustrated by Shane Clester.
Just as fun and camp and ridiculous and cute as you'd expect.
Just as fun and camp and ridiculous and cute as you'd expect.
Silver and Smoke, by Van Hoang
This was really good--an Asian-American ghost story set in Old Hollywood. Wrote it up for Lightspeed, will share more later.
This was really good--an Asian-American ghost story set in Old Hollywood. Wrote it up for Lightspeed, will share more later.
January 2, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Silver and Smoke, by Van Hoang
This was really good--an Asian-American ghost story set in Old Hollywood. Wrote it up for Lightspeed, will share more later.
This was really good--an Asian-American ghost story set in Old Hollywood. Wrote it up for Lightspeed, will share more later.
Happy Christmas Eve, fellow readers.
Reading a collection of classic Black American Christmas writings. One mentions a chinquapins in a market. Had no idea what that was, so now I'm telling you.
Chinquapins are a variety of wild chestnut native to North America that look like this:
Reading a collection of classic Black American Christmas writings. One mentions a chinquapins in a market. Had no idea what that was, so now I'm telling you.
Chinquapins are a variety of wild chestnut native to North America that look like this:
December 24, 2024 at 7:14 PM
Happy Christmas Eve, fellow readers.
Reading a collection of classic Black American Christmas writings. One mentions a chinquapins in a market. Had no idea what that was, so now I'm telling you.
Chinquapins are a variety of wild chestnut native to North America that look like this:
Reading a collection of classic Black American Christmas writings. One mentions a chinquapins in a market. Had no idea what that was, so now I'm telling you.
Chinquapins are a variety of wild chestnut native to North America that look like this:
The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni. Because I just had to.
I wrote up a little about what her words mean to me on my site, if you're interested: equalopportunityreader.com/2024/12/11/r...
I wrote up a little about what her words mean to me on my site, if you're interested: equalopportunityreader.com/2024/12/11/r...
December 12, 2024 at 2:20 PM
The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni. Because I just had to.
I wrote up a little about what her words mean to me on my site, if you're interested: equalopportunityreader.com/2024/12/11/r...
I wrote up a little about what her words mean to me on my site, if you're interested: equalopportunityreader.com/2024/12/11/r...
Oh, Nikki Giovanni. You are already missed.
December 10, 2024 at 10:20 PM
Oh, Nikki Giovanni. You are already missed.