#Kawai Strong Washburn

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Sharks in the Time of Saviors

By Kawai Strong Washburn.

Design by Gill Heeley.

[phireads]

There’s something so amazing in Dean (Sharks in the Time of Saviors) feeling closer to his ancestors when he leaves his homeland because his ancestors were travellers. It speaks volumes about how culture and humanity is not a place but a spirit, and can never be extinguished.

[sammeldeineknochen]

Wütend und lachend zugleich, taten wir einander so weh, dass man wusste, es konnte nur Liebe sein.

Kawai Strong Washburn: “Haie in Zeiten von Erlösern”, S.50

[queenlua]

sometimes i wish book sales figures were public so i could ask questions like "please god tell me Sharks in the Time of Saviors sold more copies than Shark Heart: A Love Story, please tell me there is some goodness and justice in the world"

but i'm pretty sure the answer to such questions would turn up "lolnope" like 80% of the time so. maybe it's good i can't know these things

[lascapigliata]

in alpha order by author* last name to avoid bias as much as possible.

* misordered daisy jones don’t judge me

feel free to reblog and also vote if you're a stranger. if you want to reply to tell me what you answered go for it

[madtomedgar]

Sharks in the Time of Saviors, Kawai Strong Washburn

[librarycards]

hi!! i'd love some book recommendations! here are my 5: The Dispossessed by Ursula K LeGuin, Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor, Bestiary by K-Ming Chang, A Psalm for the Wildbuilt by Becky Chambers, and Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. thank you!

omg i think this is the first ask where i've read every single book you list! great choices all around. here are some recs:

Kawai Strong Washburn, Sharks in the Time of Saviors

Sabrina Imbler, Dyke [geology]

Nghi Vo, The Empress of Salt and Fortune (and whole Singing Hills Cycle! This first book is actually the weakest in the cycle imo, and they get much better after this)

Kim Un-Su, The Cabinet

Niki Tulk, O.

Hiromi Goto, Chorus of Mushrooms

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading update: February

ahoy, gamers! after an uneven start to my reading year in January (high highs, low lows) I've had a pretty consistently excellent February! yes, I'm including Red, White & Royal Blue. it may not have been good, but it was definitely fun. more on that in a minute, but I cannot recommend enough if you, like me, are a rancid hater.

what have I been reading?

Sharks in the Time of Saviors (Kawai Strong Washburn, 2020) - @dykerory came upon this book in a pretty fruitless search for good adult novels that prominently feature sharks, a weird gap in the market that seems to ignore that SOME OF US don't ever stop thinking sharks are fucking sick. (don't talk to me about Jaws. even Peter Benchley regrets Jaws.) while Sharks in the Time of Saviors actually has much less shark action happening than one might hope based on the title, it's very much a case of "came for the shark on the cover, stayed for the phenomenal writing." the novel follows the lives of the three Flores siblings: athletic oldest son Dean, academic little sister Kaui, and middle child Noa, who possesses odd abilities that seem to be a gift straight from Hawaiian gods and just might be the savior his impoverished family needs. spoiler alert: growing up as a demigod in the 21st century is hard, and success is hardly guaranteed. Washburn writes beautifully about the the suffocating realities of struggling to survive poverty, and the ways it can both tie families together and creature fractures that are difficult to heal. apparently this was Barack Obama's top novel of 2020 and I am forced once again to acknowledge that the war criminal has taste.

Blue-Skinned Gods (SJ Sindu, 2021) - okay so this is ALSO a book about a boy being raised to believe he's channeling the divine; I accidentally struck a bit of a two-book theme. Blue-Skinned Gods follows the early life of Kalki, a boy born with blue skin and raised in a isolated Indian ashram by parents who assure him (and their many paying devotees) that he's the final incarnation of Vishnu. from a very young age Kalki is placed on a pedestal and expected to behave as a perfect spiritual leader, and you guys won't believe what happens next -- it turns out that really fucks with a kid. what follows is a coming of age story unlike any other, following Kalki's growth from a self-assured child god to a young man with a lot of questions about exactly how he fits into the world. Sindu's writing is smooth as hell, impossible to put down, and takes Kalki down some thrillingly unexpected twists that complicate every notion of identity and self. 10/10, made me want to go read all of Sindu's other work immediately.

My Solo Exchange Diary Vol. 1 (Nagata Kabi, trans. Jocelyne Allen 2016) - I was not remotely joking last month when I said that My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness was so good that I would be tracking down all of Ngata's other work in short order. her solo exchange diary continues to document a journey of self-growth with none of the usual unbearable fluff that phrase entails, instead highlighting all the discomfort that comes with realizing you can no longer keep living the way you were and finding yourself pissing, shitting, shaking, etc, in the face of learning how to do something different. I really admire the way Nagata's vulnerability is upfront and prevents her from ever sounding like some kind of self-help guru who claims to know everything; her self-discoveries are presented as unexpected gems rather than universal truths, the discoveries of someone as pleasantly surprised by her own progress as all of her readers. there's something immensely comforting in these graphic novels, which I think is the reminder that there's literally no wrong time to start wanting and doing better for yourself.

Me, Not You: The Trouble with Mainstream Feminism (Alison Phipps, 2020) - I added this book to my TBR because I noticed that Phipps seemed to be drawing the ire of a lot of TERFs on twitter, which is (in my experience) usually a pretty good indicator that someone is doing something interesting worth checking out. having finally circled around to her book, I can see why Phipps (who seems to have since deleted her twitter account) was making TERFs so angry: Me, Not You doesn't even get to page 10 without plainly stating its thesis statement that trans exclusionary feminism is inseparable from other reactionary conservative ideologies such as racism, colonialism, and misogyny itself. so that's a super promising thesis, but how about the actual content of the text? eeeeh. Phipps drops a lot of the right names -- especially Sara Ahmed, and I can certainly never object to Ahmed -- and she's certainly sincere, but I can't help feeling that many of her arguments come across as a bit shallow and under-supported for the sake of time. if I were assigning this book it would be the first week reading for, like, a semester-long exploration of white feminism, with more substantial reading to follow. not a bad primer on the whole, but lacking if you've, say, already read most of the writers Phipps is influenced by.

Nightbitch (Rachel Yoder, 2021) - this is a book that I have been MEANING to read since it came out in mid-2021, and I have FINALLY gotten around to it. having done it: I would say worth the hype. Nightbitch is an intensely internal meditation about the mundane horrors of motherhood, of isolation and endless repetition, of time and energy lost and creative pursuits stifled seemingly forever. its terror is that of the loss of self and endless stagnation in the face of duty, and how sometimes you get tired of being nice and just want to go apeshit turn into a dog and run howling through the night to kill small animals and take a shit on your republican neighbor's lawn. I don't even have a kid and it sounds good, so you can imagine how delighted I was when (vague spoilers) the book ends with Nightbitch absolutely winning. go, girlboss!

Mongrels (Stephen Graham Jones, 2016) - in another accidental two-book thematic streak, I immediately followed Nightbitch with Stephen Graham Jones' books about the saddest, grossest werewolves ever. Mongrels pulls no punches about the bloody realities of shifting perpetually between forms -- werewolves have to avoid wearing anything that won't tear away when they transform, because it will simply meld with their skin when they change back and kill them slowly; they have to dispose of their trash constantly, or risk eating something that will kill them slowly when they next turn into a hungry wolf; when human women give birth to werewolves they have to be killed quickly or, you guessed it, turn into half-dog monsters and die slowly. but despite the horrors, Jones' werewolves take grim pride in what they are and the solace they find in each other on their endless nomadic quest to avoid discovery and live the best lives they can. it's only February, but I'm absolutely confident saying that this blood-splattered book is going to be one of my favorites of the year.

Book Banning in 21st-Century America (Emily J.M. Knox, 2015) - I was lucky enough to recently see Dr. Knox lecture at the university where I work, and I'd hopped on my local library's website to place this book (her dissertation) on hold before she'd even finished speaking. while the text is a lot dryer than her very charming in-person presence, I think it's extremely important reading for anyone who has a vested interest in, you know, book banning and the prevention thereof. Knox cannily summarizes the attitudes that lead to challenges to the accessibility of various reading materials, offering examples from real challenges and interviews with challengers, creating a comprehensive study of the symbolic power exerted by fighting to remove a book from a library or high school curriculum. I think these kinds of studies are so vital, because understanding the mindset of people to whom you're pretty much completely ideologically opposed can be illuminating in many ways. I was particularly shaken by one grandmother's objections to the book I use when teaching human development to 4th-6th graders, which I consider incredibly tasteful and the grandmother in question considered pornography that was hellbent on destroying the fabric of American society. the more you know!

Red, White & Royal Blue (Casey McQuiston, 2019) - look, I pretty much already said it all here. this is a romance novel for adults who want to read about gay sex without having to see the word "penis" and believe that voting democrat is the best solution the all of America's ills. the plot is nonsense and reading it made me feel insane. I enjoyed almost every second of it because I experienced the correct way, which was reporting its many sins live to my wife, my creative partner @dykerory, and any other hapless passerby I could force to hold still and listen for five seconds. yes I will be watching the movie. no further questions.

sorry this update isn't in bulleted list form like normal, tumblr told me I had too many fucking characters and wouldn't let me post it until I separated them 💀

[smithlibrary]

Read More 2024 Myth and Legend

A book about or based on real-world mythology or folklore.

Classics The Arabian Nights The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan

Fiction The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Ariadne by Jennifer Saint Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

Science Fiction and Fantasy American Gods by Neil Gaiman Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Uprooted by Naomi Novik Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lyn Tan The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

Horror Pinata by Leopoldo Gout

Young Adult The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

[sessilywatt]

2023 Week 8: Woods in snow. I spotted a Red-Bellied Woodpecker nearby while putting down the pencil sketch. Maybe this dead tree caught its eye, too.

This drawing marks a milestone: the first time I spilled ink while drawing. It was a dramatic spill, with ink in my lap and in a pool on the floor. Luckily, the spill missed my sketchbook!

Currently reading Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn. From Chapter 5: “The owl’s breathing slowed again, and again. It was such a paper-light thing. Your face tightened and furrowed, sweat rolled down the line of your jaw. The dizziness in me surged. I was weightless, I was in the sky, beating my arms, only they weren’t arms, they were the stringy muscle and soaring sheets of feathered wings. I rocketed into the sky, all blue everywhere but for the knobbed ridges of the Ko’olaus getting smaller beneath me. Everything was air, fringed in golden light, and I rose toward the sun like I was riding the fastest elevator, surging and expanding, until everything I was seeing popped, like the lightest bubble.”

[mssarahmorgan]

Book 7 of 2024: Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

This was beautifully written, immersive magical fiction about a Hawaiian family. As a young boy, Nainoa fell into the ocean on a family boat trip, and was rescued by sharks who helped push him back towards his human rescuers. His parents have always believed that there's something special about him, that he's chosen by the old Hawaiian gods. And he does seem to have powers--he heals a boy's hand at one point--but at the same time, he and his whole family still have to live their lives. They're poor, and Nainoa's brother and sister both, in their own ways, are always trying to define themselves (as overlooked siblings of the supposed chosen one) and also save their family (financially, for a start). I loved the way this kept turning in directions I didn't expect; I loved the deep interiority of the narration, and the distinct-ness of each of the family members' voices. A complex, beautiful, moving, troubling novel.

What to read next: The Animators, by Kayla Rae Whitaker, for another complicated, gritty, gorgeous story about talent and what you do with it.

[sonsband]

11, 23, 24 📖

11. A book that was most out of your comfort zone

Probably My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris, I don't usually like graphic novels and it deals with practically every trigger warning you can imagine but it was soooo good, I returned my copy to the library and immediately bought one from Thrift Books. The sequel is supposed to come out this year and I can't wait.

12. The book with the prettiest cover

Love the covers for Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig, I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore, and Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Short Stories by Eric LaRocca

13. The book with the best title

I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home (Lorrie Moore), We Are Completely Beside Ourselves (Karen Joy Fowler), Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (Olga Tokarczuk), Magical Language of Others (E.J. Koh), Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century (Kim Fu), My Heart is a Chainsaw (Stephen Graham Jones), Sharks in the Time of Saviors (Kawai Strong Washburn), The Lion Will Slaughter the Lamb (Margaret Killjoy), The Ghost That Ate Us (Daniel Kraus), Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson

Yes I have a pattern

Talk to me about books!

[sammeldeineknochen]

Inzwischen weiß ich, dass Lachen die erste Mauer ist, die er gegen das Leid des Lebens errichtet.

Kawai Strong Washburn: “Haie in Zeiten von Erlösern”, S.258

[eudaimonia83]

Thanks for the tag! @tuzna-pesma-snova 😊 (LOVE your choice for a current read btw…Hardy is one of my all-time faves)

Tag nine (9) people you would love to get to know better

Last song: “Catalina,” ROSALÍA

Currently reading: The Jasad Heir — Sara Hashem, and rereading Sharks in the Time of Saviors — Kawai Strong Washburn

Currently watching: What We Do in the Shadows, The Bear, and Bob’s Burgers (forever my comfort show)

Current obsession(s): picking my next travel destination. Landing a new job. Finding the best tacos in my town. The most recent cute thing my nephew has said. The Throughline podcast. All the @elucienweekofficial fanfics and art.

@camreadsum @readingwritingwatching @aldbooks @ae-neon @cursebrkr @goforth-ladymidnight @krem-does-stuff @mystical-blaise @slightlyrebelliouswriter23

(Tagging people still gives me the nervous energy bc how tf do I know that isn’t annoying? Lol someone help me learn tumblr I’m shit at this 🤣)

I was tagged by @puddinginthemix 🤩

Tag nine (9) people you'd like to know better

Last song: Lothlorien by Enya! I was giving myself an Enya moment on my phone after seeing a Tumblr post about her living all alone in her castle. I listened to that album of hers that everyone had in the early 90s, and made my sister laugh by singing to Orinoco Flow AND THEN I played Lothlorien (another Enya song) which my child recognised from the LOTR movies, which pleased them 🥰

Currently reading: Possession by AS Byatt. I read it many years ago. It's the only book that's ever made me cry, and it's a joy to read it again as an adult. I understand a lot more of it now.

Currently watching: nothing right now! I'm in a place with no reliable internet and no TV. I want to watch The Sixth Commandment when I can because it sounds utterly harrowing.

Current obsession: thinking about a fic I've taken about 9 months off actually writing (it's called The Rosy Hours) which is hard because the relationship dynamics are difficult and sad and awful, but I still find them quite fascinating which is why I haven't given up on it...

Tagging absolutely zero pressure: @eriksdreamery @emotionalmotionsicknessxx @artaline @herbalpath63017 @pianomanblaine @apileofpans @rienerose @forestscribe4 @sadeyedlady-writes

[lascapigliata]

unfortunately for every author, after reading SHARKS IN THE TIME OF SAVIORS by kawai strong washburn* my standards for alternating voices have absolutely skyrocketed since he did that better than basically anyone i've ever read. makes reviewing Any other book fairly very difficult

*read sharks in the time of saviors by kawai strong washburn. to date still the best book i've read in 2024

[annhathaway]

Sharks in the Time of Saviors — Kawai Strong Washburn [id in alt]