pickThe Guardian (2/2025) summed it up well: “This book within a book weaves a writer‘s struggles with scenes from their Africanfuturist tale of post-apocalyptic robots.” Fueled by anger at a job loss, Zelu, scraps her failed writing and begins a SF novel that is an instant success. Now Zelu must deal with fame, but new doors are also open. Zelu‘s story is closely entwined with Ankara, her MC in “ Rusted Robots.” Full of angst and hope for 4/5 ⭐️
This book was the best that I read in years!!! Did anyone else love it?!👍🏻🩵🩷💙
pickThis was a fascinating look into the lives of fictional child stars!
The story follows three child stars as they navigate fame and all that comes with it. The book is broken up into 3 parts, with each part taking place during a different decade (2006-2008, 2018, and 2028), so we got to see the characters age and grow.
Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/07/review-when-stars-align/
pickThis one is amazing and it's just meta enough that you'll keep thinking about it.
#Aardvark @AardvarkBookClub
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
I‘ve officially reached the point in my SKIP BEAT! reread where it‘s all ebooks, all the time. No more hauling around bulky bags of physical copies! Whee!
I also have the volumes on my iPad, but I love how manga looks on e-ink so I‘ll read as many of them as possible on my actual ereaders. #MFMarch
pickAn absolute masterpiece, this book-within-a-book follows a disabled Nigerian-American author as she skyrockets to fame—and the main character of her book, Ankara, a “rusted robot” and android scholar on a post-human Earth. Disability, identity, family, fame, what it means to be the author of your own story, Okorafor offers a rich and razor sharp exploration of it all in Death of the Author, with an ending that made me want to start all over again!
pick(2025) This one was a delight. A disabled Nigerian American with a habit of being her own worst enemy writes a runaway bestseller, which gives her freedom she didn't have before. There is so much going on here, about family, identity, creativity, celebrity, technology, and the functions of story that I always had at least three different things to be thinking about, and the resolution left me wanting to start again. Enthusiastically recommended.
bailedI struggled along past 10%, but this is not the book for me. The main story is quite slow to get going and while the book within the book is written quite well, it‘s not my style. Others love this, though, so if you think you are the right reader, don‘t let me deter you.
