#read henna wars

[ariariarimu]

Lesbian rep

Idk, people constantly arguing about what kind of lesbian rep we need (in the context of popular media) always feels counterproductive. Cause 1. first off no one ever mentions how little rep we have that has two non white people in a relationship. 2. where are the studs? the butch femme relationships? fat lesbians? trans lesbians? why did I have to watch Q force to see two fat butches together... most arguments just often boils it down to "too much soft lesbian media" or "too much gritty/serious lesbian movies." when the real enemy is how oversaturated white fem/fem skinny lesbians are. No I don't wanna watch Carol or Portrait of A Lady on Fire.

[augustraine]

Does anyone have good wlw book recs?? Specifically with one of them at least being masc? I'm so sick of going on tiktok looking for books where it's just two fem white women. 😭 I want more then the same 5 books yk??

[remusfinglupin]

January Wrap-Up

- Alone With You in the Ether: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- 10 Things That Never Happened: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Atlas Complex: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Ghostkeeper: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Gwen & Art Are Not In Love: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Every Time You Hear That Song: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Only Girl in Town: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Henna Wars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Playing For Keeps: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[pridepages]

‘Muslims aren’t gay,’ she whispers, like this is a hard and fast rule…I would laugh if this weren’t such a ridiculous claim. Because of course Muslims can be gay. How can anyone think otherwise? The two aren’t mutually exclusive. I’m living, breathing proof.--Nishat, The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

[valeovalairs]

Every book I read this year

I was feeling really bored so I made this.

[rogloptimist]

book recs for aapi heritage month 🕺🕺

a bit late, but happy aapi heritage month! i’ve been getting back into reading this past year after my pandemic slump, so here’s some books that i really enjoyed by aapi authors 

the poppy war trilogy by rf kuang - this series is a fantasy based on 19th-20th century china. it’s hilariously written with some of my favorite characters of all time, and deals with some really heavy topics like colonialism, the effects of warfare, and classism in a brutally honest fashion. i have so much to say about it but that’s for a much longer post-

babel: an arcane history by rf kuang - at this point i will read this woman’s grocery list, she is such a skilled writer and genius storyteller. babel is set in an alternate 1800s oxford university, in a world which the british empire’s power is built upon magic silver. babel unpacks the intrinsic ties between academia and empire from the perspective of someone on the inside and the concept of resistance. it also really hits home to the feeling of disconnect from your native language as a bilingual/third culture kid- overall just brilliant book imo. the magic system is also really interesting (as is that of rf kuang’s other work)- she builds upon the real world to create a fantasy that is engaging, but also very representative of the motifs of her work?? idk how to explain it but 🙏rebecca🙏

you’re the only one i’ve told: the stories behind abortion by meera shah - you’re the only one i’ve told is a collection of stories about abortion entrusted to shah, a medical practitioner who works as an abortion provider. the book humanizes these people and their experiences from a variety of different backgrounds and circumstances, and is a really compelling read. 

we have always been here: a queer muslim memoir by samra habib - we have always been here is a memoir about  habib’s experience growing up as an ahmadi muslim in pakistan, coming to canada as refugees in their teenage years, and grappling with queer identity within an environment where their body and personhood was thought to have been needed to be controlled. habib discusses faith, sexuality, and love through a lens of self discovery and finding community that you didn’t know existed. 

the henna wars by adiba jaigirdar - this book is set in dublin, and follows a young bangladeshi girl named nishat. nishat has fallen for an estranged childhood friend, flávia, who just so happens to be her rival in an upcoming school business competition. and by some luck, they both have chosen to create the same business; henna tattoos. i’m a sucker for fluff so this book got me, but it also deals with appropriation and queer romance (particularly from a 3rd culture experience) quite delicately. nishat’s relationship with her sister was also so well written, and i think was one of the most compelling bonds in this book!

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar - okay i’m still in the process of finishing this book, but it has been so good so far! this is a story about two rival agents moving through a war that stretches across time, fighting tooth and nail for their own victory in a vaguely apocalyptic world. they begin a correspondence that spills into something that could change the course of time extremely literally. the writing style and descriptions are gorgeous, and the fragmented format of letters jumping across thousands of years is a really interesting reading experience. very cool book!

on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong - god this man is such a talent- everything good you’ve heard about his work is true and you should go read it rn. on earth we’re briefly gorgeous is written in the form of a letter from a son to his illiterate mother, and tells a story that crosses over 3 generations with it’s epicenter rooted in vietnam. the narrator unpacks how the effects of warfare, immigration and generational trauma have shaped his relationship with his mother and his own life. i’m not doing it justice (not for any of these rlly i cannot elevator pitch books), but vuong’s writing is so beautiful and intimate yet quiet? 💃💃🙏🫶👍🙏👌💃

that’s all i have for now, if you have any recs pls do tell!! to my fellow asian/pacific islander americans, your voices and stories deserve to be uplifted and celebrated without being fetishized, appropriated or pigeonholed. have a great may! 

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads // twitter thread

A Guide to the Dark

paranormal YA mystery

after their car breaks down on their spring break road trip to visit photography schools, two girls are stranded in a small town

they stay in the last room in a small town motel, but quickly find out there’s been a string of deaths of past guests, and start to investigate - especially as one of them keeps seeing her dead brother

Muslim bi & sapphic MCs, explores grief

[bemtevis]

from Adiba Jaigirdar's instagram

from these descriptions, I'm feeling very desintegrated 3w? from Hinnah, 5w4 from Emilie, 1w? from Violet and 6w7 from Josefa

I'll come back to this post once I read the book

[blkkatsuki]

haiii guys do u have any teen/ya romance books that have main characters of color???

[entropy-sea-system]

remembered these picrews I made of Nishat and Flavia from The Henna Wars by Abida Jaigirdar !!

[ismahanescorner]

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating | Book Review

Author: Adiba Jaigirdar

Genre: YA Contemporary, Queer YA

Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books

Release date: 25/05/2021

Rating: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:

Everyone likes Hani Kahn—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita Dey. Ishita is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular so that she stands a chance of being elected head girl.  Despite their mutually beneficial pact, they start developing real feelings for each other. But relationships are complicated, and some people will do anything to stop two Bengali girls from achieving happily ever after.

Review: TW//: islamophobia, racism, biphobia. 

I had high hopes going into this one cuz I’ve already read this author’s debut and loved it dearly; and guess what? this book didn’t disappoint!  I really liked the story! It’s a well done fluffy sapphic YA romance that featured two amazingly flawed characters!  I had my personal gripes with both of the mcs at times and their decisions; however, I understand they’re teens and they’re supposed to make plenty of mistakes!  What made me dock a star from my rating is that I wasn’t satisfied with how the conflict at the end was resolved, or rather swept under the rug. I wish if Hani gave us a little glimpse and spoke about her friendship status! 

Definitely recommend it!

[currentresidentinhell]

I just finished reading the henna wars and, like, it was so freaking good. the way everything was handled w Nishat being outed and then at the end w them telling Chyna to stfu like

I just fucking enjoyed it

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[thebisexualwreckoning]

For my Muslim sisters if you want to read YA books with Muslim sapphics as he main characters I suggest Hani and ishu's guide to fake dating and The Henna Wars

Muslim sapphics deserve to have their voices heard

Muslim sapphics are welcome here 💌

[pridepages]

I try to tell myself pride is a sin, but I can’t help the glowing feeling growing inside of me. I should be able to feel proud once in a while, right? Is that not something you earn after a whole lifetime of insecurity and secrets?--Nishat, The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

[layo2-0]

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar (8/1-8/12)

5/5 stars

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Race, Queer

Tags: Homophobia, Racism, Outing, Unsupportive Parents, Supportive Parents, Cultural Appropriation, Misogyny

Notes: so slay i love it, i remembered with like 50 pages left that they all had irish accents which cracked me up