#AlSaid

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"L'Ecole de Paris Arabe" présentée à l'exposition “Présences Arabes - Art Moderne et Décolonisation Paris 1908-1988” au Musée d'Art Moderne (MAM) de la Ville de Paris, juillet 2024.

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We have three books on our radar this week! Which ones are you interested in?

Forty Words for Love by Aisha Saeed Kokila

In this luminous young adult novel by New York Times bestselling author Aisha Saeed, two teen protagonists grow from friends to something more in the aftermath of a tragedy in their magical town. Moonlight Bay is a magical place—or it was once. After a tragic death mars the town, the pink and lavender waters in the bay turn gray, and the forest that was a refuge for newcomers becomes a scourge to the townspeople. Almost overnight, the entire town seems devoid of life and energy. The tourists have stopped coming. And the people in the town are struggling. This includes the two teens at the heart of our story: Yasmine and Rafay. Yasmine is a child of the town, and her parents are trying and failing to make ends meet. Rafay is an immigrant, a child of Willow Forest. The forest of Moonlight Bay was where people from Rafay’s community relocated when their home was destroyed. Except Moonlight Bay is no longer a welcoming refuge, and tensions between the townspeople and his people are growing. Yasmine and Rafay have been friends since Rafay first arrived, nearly ten years ago. As they've gotten older, their friendship has blossomed. Not that they would ever act on these feelings. The forest elders have long warned that falling in love with "outsiders" will lead to devastating consequences for anyone from Willow Forest. But is this actually true? Can Yasmine and Rafay find a way to be together despite it all? -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Writing in Color: The Lessons We've Learned edited by Nafiza Azad and Melody Simpson Margaret K. McElderry Books

So, you’re thinking of writing a book. Or, maybe you’ve written one, and are wondering what to do with it. What does it take to publish a novel, or even a short story? If you’re a writer of color, these questions might multiply; after all, there’s a lot of writing advice out there, and it can be hard to know how much of it really applies to your own experiences. If any of this sounds like you, you’re in the right place: this collection of essays, written exclusively by authors of color, is here to encourage and empower writers of all ages and backgrounds to find their voice as they put pen to page. Perhaps you’re just getting started. Here you’ll find a whole toolkit of advice from bestselling and award-winning authors for focusing on an idea, landing on a point of view, and learning which rules were meant to be broken. Or perhaps you have questions about everything beyond the first draft: what is it really like being a published author? These writers demystify the process, sharing personal stories as they forged their own path to publication, and specifically from their perspectives as author of color. Every writer has a different journey. Maybe yours has already started. Or maybe it begins right here. Contributors include: Julie C. Dao, Chloe Gong, Joan He, Kosoko Jackson, Adiba Jaigirdar, Darcie Little Badger, Yamile Saied Mendez, Axie Oh, Laura Pohl, Cindy Pon, Karuna Riazi, Gail D. Villanueva, Julian Winters, and Kat Zhang. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Actually Super by Adi Alsaid Knopf Books for Young Readers

A globetrotting novel that takes a determined teen from Japan to Australia and to Argentina and Mexico on a quest to prove that humanity is more good than bad from the author of Let’s Get Lost and Before Takeoff. Isabel is having an existential crisis. She’s three years into high school, and everything she’s learned has only shaken her faith in humanity. Late one night, she finds herself drawn to a niche corner of the internet—a forum whose members believe firmly in one that there are indeed people out in the world quietly performing impossible acts of heroism. You might even call them supers . No, not in the comic book sense—these are real people, just like each of us, but who happen to have a power or two. If Isabel can find them, she reasons, she might be able to prove to herself that humanity is more good than bad. So, the day she turns 18, she sets off on a journey that will take her from Japan to Australia, and from Argentina to Mexico, with many stops along the way. She longs to prove one— just one— super exists to restore her hope for the future. Will she find what she’s looking for? And how will she know when—if—she does? -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak | Author: Adi Alsaid | Publisher: Inkyard Press (2019)

[sordid-corvid]

EVERYONE LOOK!!!

Thank you so much again for the beautiful commission 🩵 Could not have asked for a better experience or result. I am honestly elated to have this ;;

Very sorry, I will not be shutting tf up about it for a minute.

Commission for @sordid-corvid of their lovely boy Alsaide...he's the reluctant bodyguard for an illithid by the name of Tsaresk. Perhaps one day he will escape.

[coollovebibliophilethings]

Moments to Return by Adi Alsaid

Title: Moments to ReturnAuthor: Adi AlsaidIn: Hungry Hearts (Caroline Tung Richmond & Elsie Chapman)Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Death, FoodPace: MediumFormat: Short storyYear: 2019 At least to a degree, everyone is aware of death knocking at the door. At least, that’s how I’ve always felt. And I really enjoyed the fact that this…

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🩷 Sapphic BIPOC Books for Sapphic September

💜 Too often, books by authors of color get shelved out of view in favor of books written by well-known, already-established white authors. No more! In this amazing era of writing, there are more sapphic books by authors of color (about characters of color) than ever before! Here are a few sapphic BIPOC books to consider adding to your TBR! Spread the word about these books to give them the attention they deserve.

🩷 Girls of Paper and Fire -Natasha Ngan 🩷 You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson 🩷 Once Ghosted, Twice Shy - Alyssa Cole 🩷 Cinderella Is Dead - Kalynn Bayron

💜 Friday I'm in Love - Camryn Garret 💜 The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali - Sabina Khan 💜 Wild Beauty - Anna-Marie McLemore 💜 Last Night at the Telegraph Club - Malinda Lo

🩷 Gay the Pray Away - Natalie Naudus 🩷 D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding - Chencia C. Higgins 🩷 The Good Luck Girls - Charlotte Nicole Davis 🩷 Clap When You Land - Elizabeth Acevedo

💜 The Midnight Lie - Marie Rutkoski 💜 Tell Me How You Really Feel - Aminah Mae Safi 💜 We Set the Dark on Fire - Tehlor Kay Mejia 💜 The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar

🩷 All of Us with Wings - Michelle Ruiz Keil 🩷 How to Find a Princess - Alyssa Cole 🩷 Cinderella Is Dead - Kalynn Bayron 🩷 Sorry, Bro - Taleen Voskuni

💜 Wish You Weren’t Here - Erin Baldwin 💜 Girl, Serpent, Thorn - Melissa Bashardoust 💜 We Didn’t Ask for This - Ali Alsaid 💜 The Grief Keeper - Alexandra Villasante

🩷 Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Really Feel - Sara Farizan 🩷 Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me - Mariko Temaki 🩷 It’s Not Like It’s a Secret - Misa Sugiura 🩷 Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour

💜 You Exist Too Much - Zaina Arafat 💜 The Skin and Its Girl - Sarah Cypher 💜 Hijab Butch Blues - Lamya H 💜 Roses in the Mouth of a Lion - Bushra Rehman

🩷 Faebound - Saara El-Arifi 🩷 Legendborn - Tracy Deonn 🩷 The Weight of Stars - K. Ancrum 🩷 Dread Nation - Justina Ireland

💜 I’ll Be The One - Lyla Lee 💜 Not Your Sidekick - C.B. Lee 💜 Honey Girl - Morgan Rogers 💜 Every Body Looking - Candice Iloh

[sordid-corvid]

Hey. You. Answer the following for the OC ask prompts. 4, 5, 6, 8, 16, 19. Both your blorbos. You know the ones.

That is so many questions that I am foaming at the mouth to answer; thank you c':

4. What are 3 of their irrational fears?

Alsaide's most irrational fears are probably fog/mist, and the dark. To get specific, he gets very uneasy when it's dark outside. He has nightmares of being underground, looking out windows in abandoned Underdark cities and it's pitch black. There's a disembodied voice, clear as anything, that mocks him while he searches for a way out. It never gets brighter; the sun never rises here. He never finds the exit. He never escapes the voice. Fog/mist gives him that distant, uncomfortable nostalgia for a time he'd rather forget. For a third fear: he's also very afraid of mind flayers. Any mind readers/controllers. But especially mind flayers.



Tsaresk does not have irrational fears. They are all rational, thank you, have a nice day. But since he has unwittingly osmosis-ed genuine human emotion, he's now afraid of experiencing them for himself. He knows what it's like second-hand, but to actually feel those throes of grief and sorrow? Oh lord is he not ready. He is afraid of the sun, as ilithids are. It's very primal, he can't think, can't do anything other than try to escape it. And it's humiliating, being reduced to that. Aaaand the most irrational, nonsensical fear is that something could happen to take Alsaide away from him. (He shouldn't care. He shouldn't. But...)



5. How affectionate are they? What are their top love languages?

Alsaide is very affectionate! He comes from a huggy, touchy family, and while he knows that not everybody is, and of course he will respect that, he looooves giving hugs. Or just. Physical contact in general. He's too big on permission/consent to just. Go for it though. But by all means, ask! He's also big on acts of service and quality time. Lastly, a big way he shows his love by making a genuine interest to engage with his loved ones' passions. Music buff? He'll pick up a book on theory, or history to better relate. Gardening? Book on horticulture, read cover to cover.



Tsaresk is not affectionate in the slightest. Tolerance is the highest degree of affection he manages 90% of the time and he's allergic to feelings. (He is also a liar, and is affectionate in his own weird way if one knows where to look). He has developed a fondness for physical touch, and, while he never initiates it, is actually very receptive to receiving it. (He likes to be leaned on, and will return a hug. Loosely.) He doesn’t know how to offer comfort, but he’ll linger at the edge of someone's orbit, watching, waiting for an ask he can answer. (Creepy? Perhaps. He’s trying.) And, it’s not really words of affirmation, persay, but sometimes his bluntness is great for re-contextualizing a perspective!

6. On an average day, what can they be found doing after dinner?

Alsaide is a huge weirdo that will relax for a bit and then go work out. Again. Someone stop him. He likes to go for runs and does so often. He’ll get one in either before or after dinner depending on the day, but once he’s actually settling in, he’ll just kind of occupy communal spaces looking for company. He likes to be around other people and just, visit. This is prime time to hear about everybody’s day. He’s a great listener and is very content to do just that. 

During his wind down, after dinner period, Tsaresk is pretty consistently and predictably wherever Alsaide is. Before, observing spending time with Alsaide was his relaxing after-work activity. The dynamic is different now, but he definitely still seeks Alsaide’s company when he’s decompressing. His preferred joint activity is reading, but will chat if that’s what circumstances call for. Can’t often get him to indulge in those runs though. 

8. What will always make them smile? What will always make them cry?

Someone trying to make Alsaide smile has a very good chance at succeeding. Especially Marcel. He appreciates the gesture, if nothing else, and it means a lot to him to have someone invested in cheering him up. He’s prone to being way too in his own head, but is very quick to smile, and appreciates things genuinely with ease despite being such a ruminator. He also cries easily, (it’s fine, it doesn’t embarrass him at all,) but it’s pretty much never from being physically or emotionally wounded. He’ll cry because a song was moving, or because Marcel got him a birthday gift, (or because he’s grieving, or guilty, or remembering). But it’s really hard to hurt his feelings conventionally. 

Feeling superior, having a notable breakthrough, triumphing over someone that’s only marginally less intelligent/skilled, and succeeding all make Tsaresk smile. But a smile of genuine contentment is pretty much reserved for Alsaide. (The circle is widening! Slowly. But it is!) Tsaresk has never cried. He isn’t sure that he can, even with his new… condition. But if something was going to make him cry it’d probably be loss. After he’s had his fit of rage and removed every particle of the cause from planes physical and immaterial and made them wish they had never been a thought, well, that might be the only thing left to do…

16. How do they like their baths/showers? Hot/cold, long/short?

Alsaide likes cold showers! Since he’s a bit of a fitness nut, cooling off after a workout can be absolutely heavenly. It leaves him feeling revitalized and ready to go. It’s like actually waking up. He usually keeps them short. Veeeery occasionally he’ll take a long shower or a bath, and those are always hot, but by the time he gets out it’ll be cold. That’s for when he’s sad or deep in thought. 

Tsaresk loves being damp. He could stay in a bath/shower indefinitely and he ultimately prefers pretty tepid water. Unfortunately however, there are things to do that can’t be done from the tub/shower. He isn’t usually that indulgent, but yes. Loves being wet.

19. What do they wish they knew more about?

Alsaide is actually pretty proactive on that front. If he wants to know more about something he just. Learns. He isn’t at all discouraged by being a beginner, nor is he ashamed of being behind his peers. (For instance, he started learning magic very late, and has never been bothered about not being very good.) That said, there is definitely a point where he wishes he had learned something else. Maybe if he hadn’t been so infatuated with becoming a swordsman things would have turned out different.

The thing Tsaresk wishes he knew more about ties in very nicely with his fear. He’s learned so much about humans and human emotion, so much in fact, he’s acquired some himself. But still. He wants to know more. He is Icarus and he is afraid and he is a fool, and STILL he wants to know more. It’s an addiction as much as it is an obsession and while he knows this will surely consume him, he keeps looking for more. This pursuit has led him to know joy, not just in theory, but to truly know it, to experience it himself. But it also means he will know pain much deeper than skin deep, and it’s terrifying, the depth of it. And still. He wants. God. He is a fool.

[sordid-corvid]

So, SO thrilled! My boy has clothes!!! I feel like I had only the barest idea of direction for what I wanted, and you put together something so stunning with it!

Thank you for a beautiful commission and a beautiful design <3

Full-body comm for @sordid-corvid of her lovely Alsaide <3 I was trusted with designing an outfit in the midst of a personal push to do stronger outfit designs and am pretty stoked with how it turned out!

[winningthesweepstakes]

Actually Super by Adi Alsaid

Actually Super by Adi Alsaid. Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. 9780593375808 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Hardcover Genre:  Realism, with a touch of fantasy What did you like about the book? Isabel is going to travel the world in a hunt for superheroes. Not the ones in the comic books or movies, but the real heroes of the world – normal people with a power or two. She…

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Book Review: Teen/YA

This is another one that I haven't read for a while, but it's one that I really enjoyed. This is actually one of the books that I read the week that I discovered reading is actually fun! I might even say it's one of the books that showed me not all reading is work. Up until that point, I had mostly just read books for school. I only read what was assigned. And sometimes I didn't even read that. 🤣

Anyway, the book I'll be reviewing today is

A Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak by Ali Alsaid

I flippin' love long titles! They just crack me up!

Here's what it says on Amazon:

A story about being in love with love.

Dumped by her boyfriend the summer after senior year, popular love-and-dating columnist Lu Charles can’t seem to write another word. Devastated, she spends her time wondering if everything she used to believe about love was a lie. But when Lu overhears another college-bound couple breaking up—before deciding to stay together for one final summer—she is inspired. Could Cal and Iris be the key to solving her writers block?

Lu starts chronicling the couple’s final weeks around New York City, ignoring her friends, her family, even her looming column deadlines as she becomes Cal and Iris’s unofficial third wheel. With her NYU scholarship hanging in the balance, will Lu be able to discover the truth about love that she’s been looking for? Or will she learn a much greater lesson?

And here's the review:

I really enjoyed this book. As I said, it helped me discover my love of reading. It was so much fun reading about Lu and her troubles. Not that I enjoyed her troubles, but it was interesting how she handled things. She was written so well, I almost felt like I knew her. Cal and Iris were awesome as well. Really, all the characters were well written and awesome!

The story was very interesting, and I love reading about people who write. One of my favorite series is Murder, She Wrote. She show and book series both. Absolutely love it.

So, for triggers, since it's been so long since I've read it I don't remember everything that is in it. I can tell you there wasn't any sex. Or violence. I feel like there was swearing, but I can't remember exactly. Though this is probably a good thing rather than a trigger for most people, I'll put it here anyway because I know some people don't appreciate it. There was a lesbian couple and a gay couple very briefly. Like I said, most people will think of that as a bonus, but I thought I'd mention it.

This is another one I got as an ARC. Well, actually my dad did while he was on some trip for work. He's a librarian.

And that is the end of this review. I do really recommend you check this one out. I was a lot of fun!

I'll be back with a new, more recently read one, soon!

[sordid-corvid]

THEY!!! <3

Can't say how delighted I was to get this. Absolutely stoked to get a piece with them together and it's such a sweet, tender scene too; thank you again for such a gorgeous commission!

things have been so busy lately I forgot to post this here! comm for @sordid-corvid of her character Alsaide (redhead) and mine, Kryos! this was insanely fun to work on, thank you again~!

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New Releases 

New week, new books out tomorrow! Are any of these on your TBR pile?

Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan

Is it possible to change your fate? Madhuri Iyer is doomed. Doomed for her upcoming senior year to be a total failure, according to her astrology-obsessed mother, and doomed to a happily ever after with her first boyfriend, according to her family curse.

Determined to prove the existence of her free will, Madhuri devises an experimental relationship with the one boy she knows she’ll never fall for: her childhood best friend, Arjun Mehta. But Arjun’s feelings for her are a variable she didn’t account for. As Madhuri starts to fall for her experimental boyfriend, she’ll have to decide if charting her own destiny is worth breaking Arjun’s heart—and her own.

Boundless: Twenty Voices Celebrating Multicultural and Multiracial Identities edited by Ismée Amiel Williams and Rebecca Balcárcel When identities cross boundaries, with love that knows no bounds. From platonic and romantic love to grief and heartbreak, these stories explore navigating life at the intersection of identities, and what it means to grow up surrounded by a multitude of traditions, languages, cultures, and interpersonal dynamics. Returning to a father’s homeland. Trying to fit in at chaotic weddings and lavish birthday parties where not all are welcome. Processing grief at family gatherings. Figuring out how to share the news of a new relationship with loved ones. This collection celebrates multicultural and multiracial characters at the helm of their own narratives, as they approach life with a renewed sense of hope and acceptance.

Featuring original stories from: Adi Alsaid Rebecca Balcárcel Akemi Dawn Bowman Anika Fajardo Shannon Gibney I.W. Gregorio Veera Hiranandani Nasugraq Rainey Hopson Emiko Jean Erin Entrada Kelly Torrey Maldonado Mélina Mangal Goldy Moldavsky Randy Ribay Loriel Ryon Tara Sim Eric Smith Jasmine Warga Ismée Williams Karen Yin

What She Missed by Liara Tamani When Ebony and her parents move from Houston, Texas, to her grandmother’s house in a small lake town, Ebony is sure her life is doomed. And to make matters worse, the ghost of Ebony’s beloved grandmother—a strong swimmer who tragically drowned in the lake—is everywhere. Alula Lake does offer one perk: reconnecting Ebony with her childhood friend, Jalen. But as Ebony settles into life, she finds herself drifting away from Jalen and gravitating to his older sister, Lena. Lena is chaotic, disorderly, and rebellious, yet she offers a reprieve for the anger and sadness Ebony feels about losing so much.

An ode to nature, art, friendship, history, family, and love, this lyrical coming-of-age story explores one girl’s summer of self-discovery as she reimagines the world and her place in it. What She Missed is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Nina LaCour, and Nicola Yoon.

Everyone Wants to Know by Kelly Loy Gilbert This ripped-from-the-tabloids young adult drama by the critically acclaimed author Kelly Loy Gilbert about a girl’s famous-for-being-famous family fracturing from within as their dirty laundry gets exposed.

The Lo family sticks together. That’s what Honor has been told her whole life while growing up in the glare of the public eye on Lo and Behold , the reality show about her, her four siblings, and their parents. Their show may be off the air, but the Lo family members still live in the spotlight as influencers churning out podcasts, bestselling books, and brand partnerships. So when Honor’s father announces that he’s moving out of their northern California home to rent an apartment in Brooklyn, Honor’s personal upset becomes the internet’s trending B-list celebrity trainwreck—threatening the aspirational image the Los’ brand (and livelihood) depends on.

After one of her best friends leaks their private conversation to a gossip site, bruised and betrayed Honor pours all her energy into reuniting her family. With her parents 3,000 miles apart, her siblings torn into factions, and all of them under claustrophobic public scrutiny, this is easier said than done. Just when Honor feels at her lowest, a guarded yet vulnerable boy named Caden comes into her life and makes her want something beyond the tight Lo inner circle for the first time. But is it fair to open her heart to someone new when the people she loves are teetering on the edge of ruin?

As increasingly terrible secrets come to light about the people Honor thought she knew best in the world, she’s forced to choose between loyalty to her family and fighting for the life she wants.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Let's Get Lost | Author: Adi Alsaid | Publisher: Harlequin Teen (2014)

[literatureonline]

Wishing you weren't suffering is a whole other beast than wishing you hadn't experienced anything good.

Adi Alsaid, Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak

[2020ya]

COME ON IN 

15 Stories About Immigration And Finding Home

edited by Adi Alsaid

(Inkyard Press, 10/13/20)

9781335146496

Add to Goodreads

Purchase From Indiebound

This exceptional and powerful anthology explores the joys, heartbreaks and triumphs of immigration, with stories by bestselling and beloved YA authors who are themselves immigrants and the children of immigrants. WELCOME From some of the most exciting bestselling and up-and-coming YA authors writing today...journey from Ecuador to New York City and Argentina to Utah, from Australia to Harlem and India to New Jersey, from Fiji, America, Mexico and more... Come On In. With characters who face random traffic stops, TSA detention, customs anxiety, and the daunting and inspiring journey to new lands, who camp with their extended families, dance at weddings, keep diaries, teach ESL, give up their rooms for displaced family, decide their own answer to the question "where are you from?" and so much more, Come On In illuminates fifteen of the myriad facets of the immigrant experience.