#the skylark's saga

[scifrey]

It's time to start the cover reveals!

I will be re-releasing six of my backlisted novels in the next handful of months, and I'm happy to share the brand new covers!

They were created by the crazy awesome and talented @once-upon-a-reblog!

First up, the two novels of The Skylark's Saga.

What do you think??? Gorgeous, right?

Both books will be re-released sometime in 2024, and I'm working hard for it to be early in the year.

In the meantime you can read excerpts here AND you can listen to the song by Victor Sierra inspired by the duology here!

[skylarkva]

Shoutout to the person in the live chat who typed "I miss my wife Circe, I miss my wife, I'll be back" during There are Other Ways because it made me snort

[diamondangelkitten]

Junelezen Day 17: Aether Current

Huge shout out and thank you to @halikyon for helping so patiently with the textboxes!! They look amazing!!

Introducing the oc of one of my close friends, Emegen Saga. They're not on Tumblr, but I do have permission to include them in my shenanigans, so expect to see more of them as we start filling out their lore!

This was based on pretty recent FC events and I am proud to report that I did clear up a bunch of slots for Dawntrail!

[heartman]

Reblog for a larger data pool!! Let's share some music together!!!

[sylibane]

AUtober Day 11: Animal-Based

Prompt from @autober

Alan Wake/Control daemon AU. I spent way too long on this. Details under the cut:

Alan - great horned owl. Just used his canon animal motif.

Odin and Tor - raven and goat respectively. Based on their mythological namesakes, with Odin having raven servants and Thor's chariot pulled by goats, and I felt an aggressive, grumpy goat really fit Tor.

Alice - Eurasian skylark. Larks are associated with the dawn, love, and beauty. (I was stuck on Alice the most and also considered snowy owl and hummingbird for her before settling on lark.)

Jesse - American kestrel. Thought a small but predatory bird fit her vibe, especially with the orange and blue color scheme.

Darling - burrowing owl. I thought it really fit his dorky mad scientist vibe and also wanted him to have an owl to parallel Alan's.

Trench - German Shepherd. Wanted something that would seem businesslike and intimidating and also for both him and Casey to have canine daemons.

Casey - husky for the real one and wolf for the fictional/Dark Place one. Again thought a big working dog fit the vibe, while Alan probably gave the fake Casey a wolf instead to seem cooler. Plus there's already some wolf imagery tied with the Dark Place.

Saga - deer. Again just went for her canon animal motif.

[katieaki]

My ✨ post-apocalyptic Lesbian Cowgirl Mailman choose-your-own adventure✨ has just updated! Read it here for free on my Patreon and vote in the poll! There is a summary of the first part, here, and the second part, here. They have everything you need to know about Lou, her requited-but-complicated love, the religious assassin who just beat the tar out of her, the worst person she's ever met, and the ill-advised journey she is on! There is also now a discord where Pony Express readers from all across god's green internet can gather, here!

Happy trails, pard! Don't leave us with a bit of devastating and upsetting information before we take off on our journey through the unknown wilderness together!

Read it for free on my patreon! (Long) Excerpt below the cut.

“So, what, mommy issues? Daddy issues?” Artie asked as she lifted Lou’s hair up to tie the new sling for her.

“Excuse me?” Lou said. She craned her neck to look up at her, but the pain in her shoulder made her look back down at the ground.

“Sorry— just, what you said to Holliday yesterday,” Artie said. She tied a knot and smoothed Lou’s collar over it. “About parents.”

Lou rubbed her face with her good hand. “Oh, yeah. I didn’t mean to loop both of y’all into that,” she said. “It’s not real polite to assume people’s family situations.”

Skylark looked up from where she was consolidating two half-used jars of flour. There was a spray of white powder across her cheek. “Oh, no, you’re right. No mother but the Listening Lady, no father but Their Honor,” she said. “I was taken into a church orphanage and basically never left.”

“A dyed in the wool church girl,” Artie said with deep affection. She wiped the flour from Skylark’s face with a handkerchief and crouched down to start packing up her sewing kit. “I killed my mom.”

She was so casual about it that it took Lou a second to catch up. She looked up to meet Skylark’s eye. There was just a half second too much silence and Artie looked questioningly up at them.

“I’m so sorry, cousin,” Skylark said. “That must have been a difficult situation.”

Artie shrugged as she rolled the excess thread around a scrap of cardboard. “Nah. It’s fine. I got new parents. And my new dad killed my old dad,” she said.

There was another long silence. Lou wished she had two good hands so she could more easily occupy herself out of discomfort. 

“No— sorry, it’s a good thing. She’s knife church, too. My dad. My new dad. It’s a saga. I’m not trying to get into it,” Artie said. “All I was trying to say was… um. Same.” She gestured between her and Lou.

“Oh, no, it wasn’t like that, at all,” Lou said. She shouldn’t have even brought it up yesterday. Lots of people had actually bad childhoods. Hers was fine. Normal, even, when you think about it. It was embarrassing that it had been on her mind so much lately. She’d gone so long hardly thinking about it at all. “I just had a basic, average bad childhood. Less attention than I wanted, less food than we needed, that kind of thing. You know. I never had to stab my mom or anything.”

“No, I didn’t stab her,” Artie said. “I used my teeth.”

Lou’s mouth went dry. Artie had almost bitten her face when they were fighting that first night. She could have easily ripped Lou’s throat out when she had her pinned down to the ground. Lou wasn’t sure why that was so much more disturbing than when she only thought she was in real danger of being killed by a knife. It didn’t change how dead you were. A chill ran down Lou’s neck where Artie had just touched her to fix her sling. She had been right to be afraid of those teeth. 

“Artie,” Skylark said. She looked at Artie with a silent plea for her to stop talking that was so clear, even Lou could read it. Artie did not seem to register it for what it meant.

“Well, I didn’t have a knife! I was only like, seven years old!” she said.

[mwsa-member]

MWSA Interview with Megan Michelle Falk

Date of interview: 30 October 2024

Megan Michelle holds a Masters degree in clinical psychology and a PhD in palliative care. She designed and tested a counseling intervention for parentally bereaved children.

She relies heavily on her knowledge of clinical psychology especially regarding trauma, grief, and personality to write engaging, realistic, and relatable characters.

Megan grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, spent thirteen years living in Sweden, and is now living in Virginia Beach, VA where she writes and publishes her novels.

When she's not writing, Megan is at yoga, kickboxing, or volunteering with an equine therapy program that helps military veterans, first responders, and special needs kids.

MWSA: How did you find out about MWSA?

Megan Michelle Falk: I was speaking with another author, exchanging ideas on how to grow our audience and where we can get support and she suggested I find a writer's association for my genre. I had no idea such a thing existed. Within seconds of googling, she found MWSA. I joined immediately!

MWSA: What was your inspiration for your book Skylark?

Megan Michelle Falk: During October 2022 I was recovering from open heart surgery, lying in bed, and the story of Skylark popped into my head! I couldn't do much else, so I just stayed in bed imagining what these characters would do, where their story would go, what their back story was. Before I knew it, I had a first draft. As I got better, I started researching to see if what I'd dreamed up made any sense or was remotely accurate (somehow, a lot of it was!)

This book is really the book I've always wanted to read- military romance meets spy thriller. I need a little spice with my action and a heaping dose of plot and character development.

MWSA: What writing projects are you working on these days?

Megan Michelle Falk: Book 2 of the SEAL Saga series has already been through two rounds of developmental editing and I hope to publish it in June 2025. It follows the same characters as Skylark and picks up more or less where we left them at the end of book 1! Don't worry, book 3 is also in the works.

MWSA: Now that you've finished writing and publishing Skylark, what do you know now that you wish you had known before you started?

Megan Michelle Falk: So many things! This has been such a steep learning curve. The most important lesson was definitely to trust my editor. She recommended cutting several scenes that I pushed back on (a lot) but eventually conceded weren't relevant to the plot. Now I get to offer them as bonus chapters.

MWSA: What is Skylark about?

Megan Michelle Falk: Skylark is a story of friendship, love, and perseverance. It follows Rachel Ryker, call sign Skylark, the first female Navy SEAL as she leads her team on a series of missions throughout the Middle East. It takes a big tragedy hitting her team for her to realize that she's in love with her best friend and second in command, Christopher Williams.

This story highlights what it's like to be a woman in the military and in the Middle East in a relatable and fun way. I've tried to incorporate my academic knowledge of grief and trauma to flesh out the characters and relied on my research skills to fill in the more military technical and strategic parts.

MWSA: What is your connection to the military?

Megan Michelle Falk: My father is a Viet Nam veteran. Some of my earliest memories are from following along with my brother's boy scout troop on outings to visit the patients at the VA and play checkers. I was so young I had no idea how to play, but I had a great time talking to the patients anyway.

Most of my family is military. I have an aunt and uncle who met in the Air Force, an uncle who was in the Army, and both of my grandfathers served as well. I would have if I didn't have medical disqualifications. Since I couldn't serve, I volunteer with non-profits that give back to the military community instead.

[sorokmagpies]

Of birds and sorceresses

I love the tiny metaphor Sapkowski put into Tissaia de Vries & Philippa Eilhart confrontation.

So, generally a lot of characters in the saga have this kind of bird symbolism: Ciri is both a swallow and a falcon (Gvalсh’ca), Yennefer is a kestrel, Skellen is known as Tawny Owl, Lara Dorren is associated with a seagull. Milva? A red kite. Eredin? A sparrowhawk. Ortolan is... Well, he has something in common with Emberiza hortulana. Who would have guessed? This tendency, by the way, continues in the following work of author. Bir­kart von Grel­le­nort, antagonist of the Hussite Trilogy, can turn into a wallcreeper (does it remind you of someone?).

That's when things gets really interesting, because Philippa is – obviously – Lady Owl. And in the past Tissaia was known as Skylark. Let's take a look at symbolism of those two birds in the context of characters.

Both in poetry and literature, skylark is mostly associated with morning, hope and new beginings. Which is not surprising, considering the usual time it begins to sing. It's a small brown bird – yet widely aknowledged by many poets as a companion of sunrise.

When it comes to owls, though, meaning can vary a lot. Like, really a lot. Wisdom and knowledge? Yeah, thanks, Athena. In many cultures (including Polish) owl can serve as a death sign as well. It's often related to witchcraft and misfortune. But what's more important, owls are nocturnal. And symbolize night, first and foremost.

Morning and night. Light of the rising sun and nightly darkness. The beginning and end. Of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, respectively. Just think about it: Tissaia is old enough to witness the start of Mirt, Aretuza and Ban Ard. She lived through events that established the status quo of her profession. And to many younger sorcerers she is an embodiment of the times long gone. Because the day must end – Arch-mistress commits suicide – and actions of Philippa Eilhart mark the moment when metaphorical night falls for the Brotherhood and the Continent. It's all results in the Witch Hunt and her own death.

As we know, sometime later magic users will become as influentual as ever and the Lodge members will be considered saints.

Because, as Sapkowski likes to remind us, time is like the serpent Ouroboros, which bits its own tail.

[lornaslibrary]

Fantasy

Last week I asked you to recommend your favourite fantasy books. These are all the books that were recommended!!

Bold = the books I’ve read * = the books I personally would recommend + = want to read/on my TBR

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1), by Leigh Bardugo *

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1), by Leigh Bardugo *

King of Scars (The Nikolai Duology #1), by Leigh Bardugo +

Girls Made of Snow and Glass, Melissa Bashardoust +

Range of Ghosts (Eternal Sky #1), by Elizabeth Bear

Chime, by Franny Billingsley

Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns #1), by Kendare Blake

The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury

Ninth Grade Slays (The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd #1), by Heather Brewer

The Wolf in the Whale, by Jordanna Max Brodsky

Our Bloody Pearl (These Traitorous Tides #1), by D. N. Bryn *

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Spellslinger (Spellslinger #1), by Sebastien de Castell

Traitor’s Blade (Greatcoats #1), by Sebastien de Castell +

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1), S.A. Chakraborty +

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

To Kill a Kingdom, by Alexandra Christo *

The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1), by Rin Chupeco +

The Iron Trial (Magisterium #1), by Cassandra Clare & Holly Black

The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper

London Falling (Shadow Police #1), by Paul Cornell

The Fire Within (The Last Dragon Chronicles #1), by Chris D’Lacey

The King’s Bastard (King Rolen’s Kin #1), by Rowena Cory Daniells

Kings of the Wyld (The Band #1), by Nicholas Eames

We Hunt the Flame (Sand of Arawiya #1), by Hafsah Faizal

Bitter Greens, by Kate Forsyth

The Skylark’s Song (The Skylark Saga #1), by J. M. Frey

The Untold Turn (The Accidental Turn #1), by J.M. Frey

Neverwhere (London Below #1), by Neil Gaiman

The Written (Emaneska #1), by Ben Galley

The Sentinel Mage (The Cursed Kingdoms #1), by Emily Gee

The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern #1), by Shannon Hale

Seraphina (Seraphina #1), by Rachel Hartman +

Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy #1), by Robin Hobb

Fool’s Gold (The Dragon Lords #1), by Jon Hollins

The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey

Wintersong (Wintersong #1), by S. Jae-Jones

The Traitor God (Age of Tyranny #1), by Cameron Johnston

Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle #1), by Diana Wynne Jones

The Dark Lord of Derkholm (Derkholm #1), by Diana Wynne Jones

Fires of the Faithful (Eliana’s Song #1), by Naomi Kritzer

The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

Monstress, Vol 1: Awakening (Monstress #1), by Marjorie M. Liu and  Sana Takeda +

Ash, by Malinda Lo *

First Watch (The Fifth Ward #1), by Dale Lucas

Down Among the Stick and Bones (Wayward Children #2), by Seanan McGuire +

Middlegame, by Seanan McGuire +

Chalice, by Robin McKinley

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1), by Sarah J. Maas

Blood’s Pride (Shattered Kingdoms #1), by Evie Manieri

Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1), by Melina Marchetta

Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood #1), by Juliet Marillier

Heart’s Blood, by Juliet Marillier

The Summoner (Chronicles of the Necromancer #1), by Gail Z. Martin

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1), by George R.R. Martin

The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1), by Jodi Meadows

Veiled Intentions (The Dragon’s Blade #2), by Michael R. Miller

The Philosopher’s Flight, by Tom Miller 

Lud-in-the-Mist, by Hope Mirrlees +

Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire #1), by Natasha Ngan +

Sabriel (The Old Kingdom #1), by Garth Nix

Uprooted, Naomi Novik 

Here, There Be Dragons (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geograpica #1), by James A. Owen

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1), by Christopher Paolini

East (East #1), by Edith Pattou

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1), by Mary E. Pearson

Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson

Forging Divinity (The War of Broken Mirrors #1), by Andrew Rowe

Carry On (Simon Snow #1), by Rainbow Rowell

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter #1), by J.K. Rowling *

The Final Empire (Mistborn #1), Brandon Sanderson

A Living Nightmare (Cirque du Freak #1), by Darren Shan *

The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon

Tantalize (Tantalize #1), by Cynthia Leitich Smith

The Chronicles of Ixia, by Maria V Snyder +

The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1), by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1), by Maggie Stiefvater

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1), by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1), by Laini Taylor *

Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt #1), by Adrian Tchaikovsky  

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien  

The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1), by Jessica Townsend 

Dragon Weather (The Obsidian Chronicles #1), by Lawrence Watt-Evans

The Black Prism (Lightbringer #1), by Brent Weeks  

The Cloud Roads (Books of the Raksura #1), by Martha Wells

The Happy Prince and Other Tales, by Oscar Wilde

A House of Pomegranates, by Oscar Wilde 

Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicle #1), Patricia C. Wrede

[scifrey]

Thanks for the review! Book 2 is out on September 3rd.

Book Review: The Skylark's Song, J. M. Frey

Trigger warnings: Violence, war, death, imprisonment, some misogyny and racism.

Title: The Skylark’s Song (The Skylark Saga #1).

Author: J. M. Frey.

Goodreads page. // Author’s webpage.

Summary: A Saskwyan flight mechanic with uncanny luck, seventeen-year-old Robin Arianhod grew up in the shadow of a decade-long war. But the skies are stalked by the Coyote—a ruthless Klonn pilot who picks off crippled airships and retreating soldiers. And as the only person to have survived an aerial dance with Saskwya’s greatest scourge, Robin has earned his attention. As a pilot, Robin is good. But the Coyote is better. When he shoots her down and takes her prisoner, Robin finds herself locked into a new kind of dance. The possibility of genuine affection from a man who should be her enemy has left her with a choice: accept the Coyote’s offer of freedom and romance in exchange for repairing a strange rocket pack that could spell Saskwya’s defeat, but become a traitor to her country. Or betray her own heart and escape. If she takes the rocket pack and flees, she could end the war from the inside. All she has to do is fly.

Keep reading

[scifrey]

THE SKYLARK'S SONG - UNBOXING VIDEO

Available in my store, or on @wattpad.

About the Book

A Saskwyan flight mechanic with uncanny luck, seventeen-year-old Robin Arianhod grew up in the shadow of a decade-long war. But the skies are stalked by the Coyote—a ruthless Klonn pilot who picks off crippled airships and retreating soldiers. And as the only person to have survived an aerial dance with Saskwya’s greatest scourge, Robin has earned his attention.

As a Pilot, Robin is good. But the Coyote is better. When he shoots her down and takes her prisoner, Robin finds herself locked into a new kind of dance. The possibility of genuine affection from a man who should be her enemy has left her with a choice: accept the Coyote’s offer of freedom and romance in exchange for repairing a strange rocket pack that could spell Saskwya’s defeat, but become a traitor to her country. Or betray her own heart and escape. If she takes the rocket pack and flees, she could end the war from the inside.

Filled with intrigue, #forbiddenromance, and a touch of #steampunk, #TheSkylarksSong soars in this new #duology from the award-winning author of #TheAccidentalTurn series.

[skylarkva]

Going through some irl stuff right now and man what I wouldn't give to have EPIC Athena to talk me through it. I think she could fix me.

[thebacklistbook]

Nominees part 2

Villainous (book or series):

Vicious by V.E. Schwab,

The Skylark's Saga by J.M. Frey

Poetically Lit (book or series):

Love Letters to Ghosts by Arlen C.

The World's Wife by Carol Ann Duffy

Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson

Wrapped Up Tight (book or series):

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

Six of Crows duology, by Leigh Bardugo

The Accidental Turn Series by J.M. Frey

Be Careful! It's Fragile. (single book):

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling 

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson 

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, 

Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl 

The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Solitaire, by Alice Oseman

All the crooked saints, Maggie Stiefvater

How About A Little Respect? (book/series):

The How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell 

The Gentlemen Bastard series by Scott Lynch 

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Men Explain Things to Me, by Rebecca Solnit

The Skylark's Song by J.M. Frey

[scifrey]

Hi, yes, hello Robin Arianhood.

Rihanna - Harper’s Bazaar | March 2017 issue (HQ)

[scriptmedic]

Three Great Reasons to Support This Blog on Patreon (Before May Runs Out!)

Hey all. I wanted to talk a bit about Patreon for a second. 

Patreon literally makes this blog possible. Over 40 of you have been so massively generous in that you’ve been willing to support this blog with your  hard-earned cash. 

And if you haven’t yet, that’s okay! I get it. I don’t support every cause I love either, even though I want to. 

But here are three great benefits to Patreon that maybe you haven’t considered... 

1) The Ask Box is Always Open on Patreon

I talked about this in the big post about The Ask Box, but here’s the short version: I can’t answer every question you guys have. I’m one woman. Going through the 1150-ask backlog, while fending off the people constantly messaging me with new questions, is madness. Something’s gotta give. 

So for the general audience, the ask box will be open the 1st-3rd of every month, or until I hit 100 asks (whichever is greater). Any asks not answered at the end of the month will be deleted. 

But for Patrons, things are different. Because they make the world go round -- they pay the hosting bills for ScriptMedicBlog.com, they fund my freaking fellowship, they allow me to do this blog instead of taking overtime -- it’s only right that I reward them. So any Patron can message me (on Patreon), any time, with an ask, and those asks will never be deleted. 

That benefit is open to Patrons new and old. 

2) You Get to Help Decide the Future of ScriptMedic 

There’s a poll going on right now for Patrons about what the next ScriptMedic book should be. 

(The 10 BS Tropes book is getting a facelift and a complete rewrite in preparation for its debut on Amazon [it will still be free], and that’s in edits right now. There’s also a Super Secret Project going on right now that I can’t share yet, but is coming.) 

So I’m starting a real, full-length ScriptMedic book project. And Patrons (and ScriptFam members, because family) are the ones who are voting on what that book will be right now. I’m literally going to write what they tell me, and post the saga of its writing on Patreon. 

And I’ve gotta say, so far I’m excited with their votes. 

But if you want to be a part of that, you’ve gotta be a Patron. 

3) May and June Patreon Proceeds are Going to Bucky

Remember Bucky? 

The service pup who grew up to be this amazing Service Floof? 

He and his buddy Mal got into a bottle of anti-inflammatory meds that threatened to shut down his kidneys and cause nasty GI issues. 

Bucky’s okay (and so is Mal!). But Jordan -- a ScriptFam member and one of my best friends -- got stuck with a $5,000 vet bill. 

May and June Patreon proceeds are going to help pay for Bucky’s care, which totaled over $5,000. 

So if you join Patreon now, before the end of May, not only do you get access to the Ask Box that Never Closes and get to vote on the future of ScriptMedic, you get to help save an amazing Service Floof. (Okay, he’s already been saved, but you know what I mean!) 

In short...

Ask Forever. Shape the Future. Support the Floof. 

Become a Patron! 

Infinite thanks are due to existing Patrons, with super-special-ultra thanks to Jaclin G, Kathleen A, Kristina F, and Sonja ze T, for their massive contributions. Your generosity makes me stagger, every single time. 

I also want to thank all my Patrons for helping ScriptMedic keep on spinning: 

Aira, Alyson M, Anna R, Ashley S, Ashtara, Brittany C, Christopher W, Coppelia Y, D Morgan, Dr Ferox, GrumpyElephants, Holly, Jessica S, Julianna B, Karma C, Kate C, Kathleen, Kathryn V, L. Y. Kriticos, Livia G, Madison B, Maru, Matt F, Mika T, M. W. , Nicole B, Rah-Bop, Rialla S, Royale B, Sarah C, Sarah, Sierra Z, Skylark S, Stelera K, Sue C, Tara M, and Virginia D.

And even if you can’t support the blog, that’s okay too. Thank you for being a fan -- for reading, for reblogging, for fangirling, for the amazing messages of support and kindness I’ve gotten over the last 7 months. 

Keep being awesome. 

xoxo, Aunt Scripty

(AKA Samantha Keel, Real Live Human(TM) ) 

[steve-rogers-new-york]

Books Released Post-WWII

This is a list of classic books released after Steve Rogers went into the ice (1945). They are books that Steve would not have read before waking up in the 21st century. Also included are books that came out between 1943 and 1945, while Steve was in the USO or in active service, thus there is a low possiblity that Steve would have come across them to read. The purpose of the list is to highlight books and their cultural references that Steve (and Bucky) would not be familiar with automatically, and to give ideas on some of the books they may pick up to read in the 21st century while catching up with the 70 years missed.

Also see the Pre-WWII book lists.

While not exhausted by any stretch, the list includes many best sellers, as well as books which contain popular cultural references or those with notable social commentary. The list included books up until the 1990s. While there are popular books from the 2000s, I feel for this list it would be difficult to discern books that could be considered ‘classics’ when they are so recent. The newest book in this list is Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, included for the massive cultural impact it has had. Feel free to suggest other titles you think Steve or Bucky might include in a catch-up booklist — please include an explanation for the choice.

1943 - Present

The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | 1943

Brides head Revisited - Evelyn Waugh | 1945

Animal Farm - George Orwell | 1945

The Skylark of Space - E.E. Smith | 1946

A Streetcar Named Desire - Tennessee Williams | 1947

Cry, the Beloved Country - Alan Paton | 1948

1984 - George Orwell | 1949

Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller | 1949

The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury | 1950

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis | 1950

I, Robot - Isaac Asimov | 1950

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger | 1951

Foundation - Isaac Asimov | 1951

Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison | 1952

Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White | 1952

The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway | 1952

Casino Royale (First James Bond novel) - Ian Fleming | 1953

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury | 1953

Lord of the Flies - William Golding | 1954

Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien | 1955

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov | 1955

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Tennessee William | 1955

The Cat in the Hat - Dr Seuss | 1957

How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Dr Seuss | 1957

On the Road - Jack Kerouac | 1957

Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe | 1958

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee | 1960

Catch-22 - Joseph Heller | 1961

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - Ken Kesey | 1962

The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick | 1962

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl | 1964

Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut | 1969

The Stepford Wives - Ira Levin | 1972

Carrie - Stephen King | 1974

Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice | 1976

Roots: The Saga of an American Family - Alex Haley | 1976

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams | 1979

The Color Purple - Alice Walker | 1982

Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card | 1985

Beloved - Toni Morrison | 1987

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - J.K. Rowling | 1997

Also in this set: Book Released Pre-WWII and Science Fiction Book Released Pre-WWII

Images

Catch-22 | Source Animal Farm | Source The Invisible Man | Source To Kill A Mockingbird | Source

References