#McKelle George

[itsallmadonnasfault]

[dear-indies]

Hiya! Hope you are having a lovely day, I was wondering if you could help me find an FC between 20-30 years old who could pass as the son of Ferdinand Kingsley? In regards to his character of Hob on sandman so it'd be a bonus if they had any period resources but that is not a must, thank you!

Aaron Fontaine (1988) Black British - The Outpost.

George Blagden (1989) - Vikings.

Royce Pierreson (1989) Black British - The Witcher.

Nicholas Hoult (1989) - The Great.

Joey Batey (1989) - The Witcher.

Dev Patel (1990) Gujarati Indian - The Green Knight.

Dalmar Abuzeid (1990) Sudanese - Anne with An E.

Ruairi O'Connor (1991) - The Spanish Princess.

Oliver Stark (1991) - Into the Badlands.

Xiao Zhan (1991) Chinese - The Untamed.

Yang Yang (1991) Chinese - Who Rules the World.

Jamie Blackley (1991) - Becoming Elizabeth.

Devon Terrell (1992) Anglo-Indian / African-American - Cursed - is the closest suggestion I can give but can't find much information about his Indian parent!

Dylan Wang (1998) Chinese - Love Between Fairy and Devil.

Douglas Booth (1992) - Mary Shelley.

Sean Teale (1992) Venezuelan, Spanish, Welsh - Rosaline, Reign.

Fabien Frankel (1994) Indian Jewish, Iraqi Jewish, Ashkenazi Jewish - House of the Dragon.

Kit Young (1994) Ugandan / Scottish - Shadow and Bone.

Tom Glynn-Carney (1995) - Domina.

Nick Robinson (1995) - Shadow in the Cloud.

Jack Wolfe (1995) - Shadow and Bone.

Jonah Hauer-King (1995) Ashkenazi Jewish / English - Little Women.

Wang Zhuocheng (1996) Chinese - The Untamed.

Tony Revolori (1996) Guatemalan [Spanish, Unspecified Indigenous, possibly other] - Willow.

McKell David (1997) Black British - The Irregulars.

Archie Renaux (1997) Punjabi Indian and British / British - Shadow and Bone.

Hey, anon! I was so confused until I read that his character was immortal so here are some suggestions, I can't find anybody who is also distant part Gujarati Indian so here are some suggestions of people with period who could work as a step / adopted son!

[daisyishedwig]

It's called speak easy, speak love (incredible pun) by McKelle George, and it's so much fun.

Ohmygod I've been reading this book that made me think about you but your prohibition post just reminded me! Do you like Much Ado About Nothing? Because I'm reading this really good Much Ado retelling set in the 20s where they run a speak easy!

omgggg yes i LOVE much ado!!! what the book called? 👀 i’ll take anything that combines two of my niche interests (shakespeare and the 1920s)

[metaforia]

January TBR

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a TBR and I’m trying to ease myself a little into it so I haven’t added too many books. I also tried to make sure I have a variety of genres so that I’ll hopefully find something that piques my interest. I’ve more or less chosen one book per week, although there are two books that release later this month and a comic.

I don’t think I’ll necessarily join any…

[yabookers]

endless list of favourite books: Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George

[kanyniablue]

ok i'll go nontoxic today.

the book was Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George, a YA retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing set in 1920's New York.

Hero's parents ran a speakeasy out of a boardinghouse in Long Island, NY, but after the death of her mother the establishment's gone downhill. Her father's started drinking heavily and now she and Prince, a half-Italian boy her parents took in, are basically running the place.

Benedick is a rich boy from Brooklyn who runs away from private school with his typewriter, hoping to write novels and use them to keep the speakeasy afloat; Claude is his richie-rich friend who tags along on a whim and falls for Hero at first sight.

Beatrice is Hero's cousin who wants to attend medical school but doesn't have the money. She runs away from the plans to send her back to her parents' farm in Nowheresville and lands at the boardinghouse too, where she and Benedick hit it off in the worst way possible. She's Facts & Logic and he's artsy-fartsy, she calls him out for being a spoiled rich boy and he calls her out for being judgy without knowing him, which should be a double-edged sword in this case but we're supposed to take it as it is. Personally I felt like Benedick didn't have a lot of good arguments against her positions besides 'just because i'm rich doesn't mean i don't have feelings :(' and his characterization switched between Soft Boy 90% of the time and Generic Suave Jerk YA Love Interest when the author wanted a Generic YA Romance Trope to show up (ex: at one point Ben & Bea dance at a masquerade ball. There's fancy ballgowns and hidden identities and stuff. For some reason Ben is pushy-flirty and wants to lead the dance and Bea likes it against her will. This doesn't come up again.) I liked Beatrice but I wanted someone to call her out for treating people like test subjects and always assuming her own plans are always right & the only important things going on, which is something her rival-to-lover should do but didn't.

John in this case is Prince's half-brother who doesn't hate him so much as want to keep him estranged from his Italian side of the family because they're in the Mafia. John's already working for them and knows they'd gladly use Prince as an associate, never respect him as a half-Italian, and would eventually just kill him when he stopped being useful. This plot point is well thought out, well played out, and so much more meaningful than "John and the prince hate each other for reasons." No notes.

Maggie is a Black girl living in the boardinghouse who sings at the speakeasy and wants to have a bigger singing career. She's also in love with John, who goes hot and cold on her constantly and is genuinely a dangerous person to be associated with. This romance was by far the most interesting one, as was her storyline about trying to get her career up and running but both needing connections in the industry & dealing with the racism that comes with it (she gets an audition at the Cotton Club, which allowed Black performers who fit a very strict, very white standard of beauty while also only permitting white patrons). She struggles, with actual good reasons, to balance what she likes & feels she owes to the speakeasy with her goals.

The speakeasy struggles. There's shootouts (several) and multiple mobsters running around. Everybody goes to watch Charles Lindbergh take off for his historic trans-Atlantic flight. Prohibition agents show up to shut them down. The Mafia shows up to shut them down. A rival burlesque theater shows up to shut them down. There's quite a few characters that are one-sentence references to Shakespeare characters or historical figures. There's at least two Lackadaisy references beyond just trying to keep a failing speakeasy up & running in memory of a loved one. It mostly worked out--I like when historical fiction takes a wide shot of the era--but some of it was a hot mess.

As a retelling...I don't think it should count as a retelling. The characters have (mostly) the same names, but the plot points are barely there and don't really matter. Halfway through the story Hero & Co. decide to set up bickering Benedick and Beatrice by 'gossiping' that each one is in love with the other one and just acting tsundere, causing Ben & Bea to reconsider each other. They don't particularly fall in love from this, nor is this the turning point when they suddenly see each other in a new light (they were already attracted to each other and this doesn't change much about their behaviors), then they talk to each other openly and resolve that it was all a scheme by Hero and Friends and that's the end of it. Let this be a lesson to the portion of tumblr which constantly complains that every plot point should be solved with a calm, mature conversation--it's not interesting, only a little bit funny. Late in the game there's a point where a couple are mistaken for Hero and another man making out in her room, while Claude can see them and jumps to the conclusion Hero is a slut, publicly calls her out, and ruins her reputation (for two minutes). Someone later implies that she's sick in bed to get her love interest running back to her, and then that's all over too. That's...that's really it. If the characters were named something not-remotely-related, it wouldn't even register as a retelling.

As a YA novel, it's fun. A lot of times YA just annoys me because, shockingly, as a no-longer-young adult I don't really enjoy works aimed at young adults. This one managed to keep my interest.

Big spoilers from this point on.

Maggie & John's relationship at one point references, I think, anti-miscegenation laws, which New York didn't have; for all the research evident from most of the scenes I found that to be an odd omission. Ultimately a lot of things don't go the way the characters want, which I appreciate. Hero doesn't go back to Claude, which I also appreciate (although both the author's & reviewers' insistence of "why would she ever???" sometimes goes past joking and into legitimately seeming like they don't understand...like, you're aware the Renaissance was not super progressive about women's rights, right?) Hero does get together with Prince which...sigh. He goes 75% of the way through the story with no love interest and has tons of other plot threads to carry him (I read him as ace or maybe gay, and yes I'm disappointed even if that's on me for having that expectation). He didn't need to be in love with Hero; in fact I was impressed that a major character in a YA novel didn't have a romance plotline. And since Hero's biggest character flaw is that she's flirty and unserious with every guy and ends up getting her heart broken, it felt like having her end up not in a relationship would've been a meaningful turn of events. Also she slaps him, and this is neither in character for her nor addressed as, you know, a thing that might make someone not want to be friends with her. The speakeasy...stays open I think but I genuinely can't fully remember, despite it being such a big deal the whole time, because they kind of end on a downer note. Benedick gives up trying to be a writer until after he graduates. Beatrice gets to go to medical school thanks in part to Benedick's meddling with other richie-rich people, proving that he's not useless just because he's rich, which...is a hell of a message if you think about it, but in context of the story wrapping up works out. I also don't remember if they actually get together, but there's the vibe of 'well they'll get together eventually' even if they don't become a couple by the last page, which...also seems odd for a YA novel but whatevs.

there's a book i kinda want to review but i made the mistake of going on goodreads (i dont have a goodreads account) and my toxic trait is actually that i want to review the absolutely terrible review i found of it. recursive reviewing

[heaven-in-a-wild-flower]

"I love you."

She closed her eyes and tucked his fingers close, right where they belonged. "Against your will."

"With so much of my heart, none of it is left to protest."

~Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George

[historical-mg-ya]

She let him do it, not only because she came out looking all right in his story, not a clock-throwing ruin of a girl, but also because Benedick's talking about her as if she were already one of them made her one of them. Words. What a tricky, tangled science.

Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George

[fangirlthatwrites]

Book Haul!!! Finally got my hands on The Becoming of Noah Shaw!

[popsixsquishcicerolipschitz]

Speak Easy, Speak Love McKelle George

“. . . the witty banter between Beatrice and Benedick is deliciously enjoyable, and the modernized cast of characters is so colorful that the entire novel seems to do the Charleston right off of the pages. If readers’ interests are piqued by this Prohibition-era retelling full of stories of Italian gangsters, the Cotton Club, jazz music, and speakeasies, George has done her research: she includes an author’s note full of information about the nonfiction elements of the story and what was aggrandized for the novel. This is sure to delight fans of Anna Godberson’s Bright Young Things and Shakespeare’s writings alike, leaving a taste for much more of the Roaring Twenties and much more from George.” – VOYA magazine

“Speak Easy Speak Love is a book nerd’s dream. With the vivd hedonism of the 1920s, a cast of exquisitely drawn characters (with snappy chemistry and sexual tension that makes you want to smash their faces together), and wit to rival Will himself, a loving, fresh, and unputdownable homage to the original romantic comedy.”—Mackenzi Lee, author of New York Times–bestselling The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

[graphicpolicy]

RCCC 2019: Legendary Comics Announces New Original Graphic Novel The Heart Hunter

RCCC 2019: Legendary Comics Announces New Original Graphic Novel The Heart Hunter #comics #comicbooks #RCCC

Legendary Comics has announced new graphic novel The Heart Hunter, exploring immortality, love, and greed, from novelist McKelle George and artist V. Gagnon. Set for release in late 2020, The Heart Hunter is set on the cursed island of Envecor where everyone is doomed to wear their heart outside their bodies and are immortal—unable to die, to change, to have children—until they find their…

[krystisyaandwine]

Come Meet 20 Utah Authors at the First Ever Local Author Mingle!

Come Meet 20 Utah Authors at @KingsEnglish during the First Ever Local Author Mingle hosted by the YA and Wine book club!

Hello, hello! It’s Wednesday, which means we’re less than a week away from the first ever Local Author Mingle here in Salt Lake City! This event is being hosted by The Clever Reader and me, and will take place at The King’s English Bookshop next Wednesday night at 7:00 PM!

Come join our book club, YA and Wine, and meet some of our incredible local authors! We’ll have author speed dating, games,…

[yabookers]

Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George

After she gets kicked out of boarding school, seventeen-year-old Beatrice goes to her uncle’s estate on Long Island. But Hey Nonny Nonny is more than just a rundown old mansion. Beatrice’s cousin, Hero, runs a struggling speakeasy out of the basement—one that might not survive the summer. Along with Prince, a poor young man determined to prove his worth; his brother, John, a dark and dangerous agent of the local mob; Benedick, a handsome trust-fund kid trying to become a writer; and Maggie, a beautiful and talented singer; Beatrice and Hero throw all their efforts into planning a massive party to save the speakeasy. Despite all their worries, the summer is beautiful, love is in the air, and Beatrice and Benedick are caught up in a romantic battle of wits that their friends might be quietly orchestrating in the background.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy via Edelweiss for review purposes. Speak Easy, Speak Love is a retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. After getting kicked out of her boarding school, Beatrice is sent to her Uncle's place in Long Island; Hey Nonny Nonny. Speak Easy, Speak Love follows the lives of the residents of Hey Nonny Nonny – Hero, Beatrice, Prince, Benedick, and Maggie as they navigate their dreams and wishes, love, prohibition, and the mafia. I really enjoyed Speak Easy, Speak Love. I really enjoyed the Prohibition setting, and I have such love for all the residents of Hey Nonny Nonny, my favourite being Beatrice. McKelle George incorporated much of the most memorable aspects of the 1920s (and the most romanticized) – Prohibition, speakeasies, the Italian mafia, the suffrage movement, jazz, and flappers. It was definitely an intriguing and charming setting. Like I said, Beatrice was probably my favourite character, but I adored each and every one of them. McKelle created a fantastic cast of characters who really complemented each other, and even though we have three separate POVs, it was done fantastically. I also really enjoyed the romances, particularly Benedick and Beatrice. I loved their bickering, and their slow burn and hate-to-love romance. I would definitely recommend this book if you're a fan of romance because there are several other pairings that are super cute too. As far as I'm aware, this is just a stand-alone, but if I'm being honest I would totally read a sequel! I think fans of historical fiction will enjoy this, especially if you're looking for something atmospheric and romantic. It is a lovely and charming little book.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Book Depository | Amazon

[journeyintotheshelves]

Tuesday’s Treats is a weekly blog post dedicated to newly released books that I’m most excited for. (Books are in no particular order.)

All books featured this week will be released: SEPT 19th

1. Speak Easy, Speak Love: McKelle George (goodreads) (book depository)

A teenaged retelling of Much Ado About Nothing set in the 1920s? Sign me up!

YA Historical Fiction, Romance, Retelling; Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins, Hardcover (US)

2. Jane, Unlimited: Kristin Cashore (goodreads) (book depository)

A new Kristin Cashore book…enough said, right? In my opinion, yes, but also this book just sounds incredible.

Jane’s had a pretty normal life, but when her aunt Magnolia dies, she looses her way a bit and can’t really see up from down. Then, she meets and befriends Kiran Thrash, who invites her to her family’s island mansion, Tu Reviens. A mansion that her aunt made Jane promise to go to if anyone ever invited her. There, Jane faces several different choices that will change her life, in good and bad ways, forever.

YA Fantasy, Mystery. LGBTQIA+; Kathy Dawson Books/Penguin, Hardcover (US)

3. A Poison Dark and Drowning (Kingdom on Fire: 2): Jessica Cluess (goodreads) (book depository)

Cluess’ Kingdom on Fire follows Henrietta Howel, the girl who everyone thinks is the sorcerer in a prophesy that will change the world. But the truth? She’s not, and the sorcerers have more than that secret to protect.

To be completely honest, I haven’t read the first book in this series yet — A Shadow Bright and Burning — but this series just sounds amazing. Now that book two is out, I can binge read them both.

YA Fantasy; Random House, Hardcover (US)

4. Release: Patrick Ness (goodreads) (book depository)

Released earlier this year in the UK, Patrick Ness’ latest novel, Release, is finally out in the US today!

Adam feels like his life is falling apart. Despite all of that, he still has his best friend, Angela, and his new boyfriend, Linus, to keep him sane. Taking place over the course of a day, Release, follows Adam’s thoughts, feelings, and actions as he figures out just how to be released by the ties that bind him.

YA Contemporary Fiction, LGBTQIA+; HarperTeen/HarperCollins, Hardcover (US)

5. Moxie: Jennifer Mathieu (goodreads) (book depository)

Tired of the suppressing patriarchy, Vivian is ready to fight back. To do so, she creates a feminist zine that she gives out around school anonymously. She doesn’t really expect a response at first, but soon other girls speak out too, and Vivian learns that she started a feminist revolution.

YA Contemporary Fiction; Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan, Hardcover (US)

6. Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper: 2): Kerri Maniscalco (goodreads) (book depository)

After she finds out the true identity of Jack the Ripper, Audrey Rose enrolls in the most prestigious forensics school in Romanian. But her peace is hard to find since the school’s castle was once home to Vlad the Impaler, a.k.a. Prince Dracula, and people start dying, bringing gossip of Vlad’s return from the grave.

After reading Stalking Jack the Ripper, Maniscalco’s latest novel Hunting Prince Dracula jumped right onto my TBR. Atmospheric and haunting, these books are perfect for the fall, and I can’t wait to dive into it.

YA Historical Fiction, Mystery/Horror; Little, Brown/Hachette, Hardcover (US)