WhatchYA Readin?

It may be half way through the year, but better late than never, right?! In this episode of WhatchYA Readin? I'm sharing my 22 most anticipated queer reads for 2021. Of course I recorded them KIND of out of order and also forgot SO many books in the process, ah well. :) I hope you enjoy and please comment below what queer reads YOU are most looking forward to this year. Bonus points if they're #OwnVoices! The blog post: https://bit.ly/MostAnticipated21BlogThe GoodReads shelf: https://bit.ly/35PDEtoWhatchYa Readin? Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/WhatchYAReadin–––Follow me on all my other social medias for life in between episode uploads!–P A T R E O N : http://bit.ly/malaraypatreonI N S T A G R A M : http://bit.ly/malarayinstagramL I B R O . F M : http://bit.ly/malaraylibrofmW E B S I T E : http://www.malarayofsunshine.comT W I T T E R : http://bit.ly/malaraytwitterG O O D R E A D S : http://bit.ly/malarayreadsF A C E B O O K : http://bit.ly/malarayFB#OwnVoices, #QueerReads, + #YARead my poetry, @malaray.poetryGet 15% off your purchase of $20 or more at jordandené.com and thecolorfulgeek.com with code “malaray”

This episode was recorded on the 3rd of April. Literally two months ago. Good grief.In April I sat down with Emily (@ourshieldmaiden) and Claire (@shakespeareandme) to chat about their Quarantine Book Club among SO many other things ranging from astrology, to our cats, to #OwnVoices. Honestly, this is a long one, but I really hope those of you who make it through the whole thing enjoy it!FOLLOW EMILEE–Instagram: www.instagram.com/ourshieldmaidenKo-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/ourshieldmaidenFOLLOW CLAIRE–Instagram: www.instagram.com/shakespeareandmeKo-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/shakespeareandmeTune into the Quarantine Book Club every Sunday at 5 p.m. PST.–––Follow me on all my other social medias for life in between episode uploads!–P A T R E O N : http://bit.ly/malaraypatreonI N S T A G R A M : http://bit.ly/malarayinstagramL I B R O . F M : http://bit.ly/malaraylibrofmW E B S I T E : http://www.malarayofsunshine.comT W I T T E R : http://bit.ly/malaraytwitterG O O D R E A D S : http://bit.ly/malarayreadsF A C E B O O K : http://bit.ly/malarayFB#OwnVoices, #QueerReads, + #YARead my poetry, @malaray.poetryGet 15% off your purchase of $20 or more at jordandené.com and thecolorfulgeek.com with code “malaray”

Last week I had the immense pleasure of sitting down with Ana Lal Din, author of “The Descent of the Drowned”.Ana is a Danish-Pakistani Muslim with Indian heritage, so we chat about how her upbringing has shaped her life and her writing. She shares the path she took from listening to the Danish fairytales her sisters told her, to writing Goosbump-esque short horror stories, to full-fledged world building within the fantasy genre– and why fantasy as a genre is so important to her.I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I enjoyed recording with Ana and please, if you haven’t already checked it out, pre-order or order “The Descent of the Drowned” out this Monday, March 15th.PRE-ORDER “The Descent of the Drowned”–B&N: http://bit.ly/3cvJdAlAmazon: http://amzn.to/3bJfGUgBook Depository: http://bit.ly/3lbytecIndiebound: http://bit.ly/3cvJkffFOLLOW ANA–Instagram: www.instagram.com/laldinanaTwitter: www.twitter.com/laldinana Website: www.laldinana.netFollow me on all my other social medias for life in between episode uploads!–P A T R E O N : http://bit.ly/malaraypatreonI N S T A G R A M : http://bit.ly/malarayinstagramL I B R O . F M : http://bit.ly/malaraylibrofmW E B S I T E : http://www.malarayofsunshine.comT W I T T E R : http://bit.ly/malaraytwitterG O O D R E A D S : http://bit.ly/malarayreadsF A C E B O O K : http://bit.ly/malarayFB

This video is so far from where I want it to be. My audio settings were messed up, I lost my tripod mount piece, and my camera died half-way through. I wanted to film and upload this next episode as a video episode, to set a new precedent, so I did and I’m still uploading it because perfection isn’t real! Ha ha.   Today I’m reviewing “Grown Ups” by Emma Jane Unsworth– a book I picked up because I thought it might be vaguely relatable to my life and, turns out, it was. This book made me laugh, hold my breath, and have a small emotional spiral. #Casual   “Grown Ups” is about Jenny McLiane; a 30-year-old woman working as a columnist at an online magazine The Floof. Her whole identity is wrapped up in her social media life, so when her ex leaves her, her body fails her, her friends start to leave her, and her mother moves back in with her… it’s a lot. I went on a journey with this book and I wasn’t at all expecting to. Honestly, if you’re in social media at all I recommend you listen to this book!   Spoilers begin at 11:46 and end at 15:35. This is a short episode, but hopefully next time I’ll have my tech stuff sorted out and we’ll get a longer one. 😉   This book was gifted to me via Libro.fm’s influencer program, but I am not being paid to review it! If you use my link to sign up I’ll earn free audiobooks, so thank you. :)   L I B R O . F M : http://bit.ly/malaraylibrofm   I’m curious to hear if you’ve read “Grown Ups” and if you liked it or not. Leave a comment down below or over on Instagram – I respond to as many as I can!   *Trigger warning*: I want to put a trigger warning in here for those of you who may have trauma around mis-carriages or have emotions tied to wanting to be pregnant, being unable to conceive, or really any sort of emotions tied to the completely complicated thoughts some of us women have in relation to motherhood. This book deals with a lot of those things and I wanted to be sure to call that out so you could be not taken by surprise, as I was. ♡

In which I talk about what I'm currently reading and the books I intend to finish by the end of August!   CURRENTLY READING–   AUGUST TBR–   Get your first book from Libro.fm for free by clicking here!   This episode was sponsored by The Sartorial Geek! Follow them on Instagram here and support them (if you can) on Patreon here!   -----   Follow me on all my other social medias for life in between episode uploads!:   P A T R E O N : http://bit.ly/malaraypatreon I N S T A G R A M : http://bit.ly/malarayinstagram W E B S I T E : http://www.malarayofsunshine.com T W I T T E R : http://bit.ly/malaraytwitter G O O D R E A D S : http://bit.ly/malarayreads F A C E B O O K : http://bit.ly/malarayFB  --- Music purchased from Epidemic Sound. Songs are "Sun Sun Sun (Sting Version)" and "Enjoy Your Heartbreak (Sting Version)".

*Trigger Warning* I discuss "Docile" by K.M. Sparza and there is mention of rape. In which I update us both on the progress I've made (am making?!) on my 2020 goals so far. (Spoiler alert: it's not fantastic!) BOOKS I DISCUSSED: Comics / Webcomics– ----- Follow me on all my other social medias for life in between episode uploads!: P A T R E O N : http://bit.ly/malaraypatreonI N S T A G R A M : http://bit.ly/malarayinstagramW E B S I T E : http://www.malarayofsunshine.comT W I T T E R : http://bit.ly/malaraytwitterG O O D R E A D S : http://bit.ly/malarayreadsF A C E B O O K : http://bit.ly/malarayFB  --- Music purchased from Epidemic Sound. Songs are "Sun Sun Sun (Sting Version)" and "Enjoy Your Heartbreak (Sting Version)".

Jerry and I recorded this podcast back in APRIL and I have finally finished editing it to post it. Honestly, it’s wild to listen back to because Jerry and I hadn’t spoken regularly when we recorded it and now we talk all the time. Wild! We discuss how he got into books, the first books he remembers reading, and (mostly) how he makes time to read with a little one running around and sans-commute thanks to quarantine. All the books and comics we chatted about are down below. Check them out! Note: We discuss Harry Potter and JK Rowling’s midnight releases in this episode; Jerry is a huge Potterhead. Since the recording of this episode JK Rowling has publicly taken another stand against the Trans and LGBTQIA+ community on her Twitter. Neither of us support or condone her words or actions and are supremely disappointed that she is using her platform to cause such harm and perpetrate hate. BOOKS WE DISCUSSED: Young / Children’s Books– YA / Adult– Comics / Webcomics– Follow Jerry: @jerrycooke (Twitter / Instagram) www.youtube.com/jerry

I had the opportunity to sit down with C.B. Lee recently (twice, if you'd believe my luck!) We chat about her book series, The Sidekick Squad, how it came to be a series, and how she plotted out the universe they take place in. Carrie shares how she began writing, why joy in queer media is so important, and which characters in her stories she's named after friends. She also has two new books coming out super soon! "Out Now: Queer We Go Again" and a Treasure Island retelling with Feiwel and Friends' upcoming collection, Reclaimed Classics. Follow Carrie: Website – https://www.cb-lee.com Instagram – @cblee_cblee Twitter – @author_cblee ➡️Pre-order / order "Out Now: Queer We Go Again!"⬅️ (Releases 26th, May 2020!) Other books mentioned: 📺 Watch live interview C.B. Lee and I did with Interlude Press for #TinyBookFest