#tova leigh

[fiefgoldenlake]

Recs for Disability Pride month (and some bonus belated recs for Pride!)

All titles link to Storygraph, which can give you a further synopsis, as well as any warnings.

Godkiller (Godkiller #1) by Hannah Kaner

Meet Kissen - the eponymous godkiller. In a world which has forsaken gods, Kissen deals with those who still prey on the public. She finds herself drawn into a quest with a young girl who is bound to a god. Along the way, they start to uncover what truly happened in their country's war against the gods. Bisexual rep, queer-normal world, main character has a prosthesis.

Iron Widow (Iron Widow #1) by Xiran Jay Zhao

Zetian volunteers herself to be a concubine pilot, to avenge the death of her sister. Giant robots, known as Chrysalises, are piloted by men, with the assistance of a female (concubine) pilot. Zetian's actions lead her to be punished by a match-up with Li Shimin, who has killed every concubine pilot who has ever flown with him. But everyone has underestimated Zetian. Poly, bisexual rep, the correct resolution to a love triangle. The main character suffers from chronic pain, mobility issues, and uses a wheelchair on occasion. 

The Final Strife (The Ending Fire Trilogy #1) by Saara El-Arifi

This is a class-driven society, and clear-blooded Hassa belongs to the ghost class, who've had their tongues cut out and hands severed by the ruling Ember class. The book follows Sylah, one of the Stolen Ember children, forged into a weapon and using drugs to cope with her past, and the beautiful and privileged Anoor. In the background, there's Hassa, keeping an eye on everything. The Ghostings communicate through sign language, and although Sylah is as fluent as possible without being a native, she can't speak it - it is a language exclusive to them. Sylah also suffers from drug withdrawal symptoms in the first book. Trans rep, wlw, mutism. 

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse

Xiala is a disgraced Teek, charged with bringing a 'harmless' passenger to Tova. Serapio has a destiny, one which has caused him to be blinded, and he's determined to fulfill it. Blind main character (but has the capacity to be magically enhanced), queer-normal world. 

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings #1) by Mackenzi Lee (YA)

Monty is already well-versed in vice before embarking on his Grand Tour with his best friend, Percy. It isn't a problem that he has a big crush on Percy - really. But it is Percy's last chance for freedom, since he suffers from epileptic seizures, and his uncle has judged it best that he be put in a sanitorium at the end of the trip. Bisexual rep, mlm, epilepsy, period-typical homophobia, period-typical discrimination. 

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

If you haven't already read it and you want to know more about a world like the Court of the Rogue, definitely check this one out! The Crows are a fantastic group, and you can't help rooting for them. Leader Kaz uses a cane and suffers from PTSD - Bardugo says she was looking to create a character who was "disabled and ferocious". Queer found family, mlm amongst the main characters, limp/use of cane, PTSD. 

Bonus Belated Pride Recs The Jasmine Throne (The Burning Kingdoms #1) by Tasha Suri

There's a rot spreading through the nation, which sees dying plants sprout inside people’s bodies, killing them. The Emperor is seeking to crush a rebellion, and will not tolerate any dissent. Priya does what she can to help the poorest citizens, but it's not without a cost, and she needs to keep her head down. Malini, the vengeful princess imprisoned by her own brother, has other ideas, however. Wlw. 

The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos #1) by Samantha Shannon

A quest fantasy with a queendom on one side, where magic is prohibited and the throne of Inys has passed, generation after generation, from mother to identical daughter. On the other side, there be dragons. Assassination attempts, a beautiful wlw romance, another main character who reads as ace, and a gripping plot, this book is worth every one of its (almost) 850 pages. Part of a series but each book stands alone.

Little Thieves (Little Thieves #1) by Margaret Owen (YA)

Vanja is one of my favourite characters that I've encountered in years (and as a bonus, the author is a confirmed TP fan!). This is an irreverent retelling of the Goose Girl from the maid's perspective, and the concept behind the title is, "The little thief steals gold, but the great one steals kingdoms; and only one goes to the gallows." Vanja is a little thief, accustomed to fending for herself, but she comes up against a curse, an impending marriage, and a personified pocket ledger. Demi rep, queer found family. 

Finally, I read Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly, which is a story about two guys who meet hiking the PCT. One of them brought his comfort read - Alanna: the First Adventure

[burningdarkfire]

books i read in aug 2023

[these are all short + casual reviews - feel free to ask about individual ones if u want my full thoughts or ask for my goodreads!!] 

august wasn't a real month because either i was travelling or waiting to travel, but apparently it was a decent month for reading!!

bright dead things - ada limón ★★★★★ (poetry)

all of those posts about how poetry is a fundamental food group ... again sometimes the tumblr girlies are right to put these into all of their web weaving. lots of beautiful lines that will stay with me for a long time

ducks - kate beaton ★★★★★ (graphic novel autobiography)

really interesting look into a life that is very different from mine but still has a lot of similar elements (the soul crushing misogyny transcends context 👍) i was honestly surprised by how poignant and touching this was - both the art and story are beautiful

[reread] fire - kristin cashore ★★★★☆ (YA fantasy)

this reads pretty well as a standalone fantasy, despite being the second in a series. it's a masterfully written but utterly brutal look at what it's like to be desired as a woman - it's damn good, but it's definitely not uplifting

red, white & royal blue - casey mcquiston ★★★★☆ (romance)

really easy, hilarious fun. can't ask for much more from a romcom!

hell bent - leigh bardugo ★★★★☆ (fantasy)

tbh i didn't reread the first book before this so it was a slog to get into, but alex stern is still an utterly fantastic main character and the end of the book was certainly exciting in pulling it all together

the overstory - richard powers ★★★★☆ (ecofic)

long, dense, beautiful. if you want to know if it's worth it - you get a pretty good idea of what the book is going to be like early on, so you just need to be honest with yourself about your own tastes

what lies in the woods - kate alice marshall ★★★★☆ (thriller)

decently paced and plotted thriller. nothing genre-defying but fun

the hurting kind - ada limón ★★★★☆ (poetry)

sometimes you read a poetry collection from much later in a poet's career and you realize that at this point they've touched too much grass to still be deeply relatable. it's good, it just didn't reach me personally

the tenth muse - catherine chung ★★★☆☆ (historical)

i think this might be more enjoyable if historical fiction is your usual thing (it's not mine). the first person POV didn't land with me and it felt like a book that was trying to be much more intersectional than it actually was. it was relatively interesting and many of the characters had interesting shades of grey but .. meh?

remarkably bright creatures - shelby van pelt ★★☆☆☆ (contemporary)

this had good bones but i'm certain there are other authors out there that do a better feel-good novel. i loved reading about tova but ultimately wasn't convinced by cameron or marcellus and felt like the entire book was both pointless and too forced - it didn't cohere in a satisfying way

[techpedo]

Sharon Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow join the roast as content creator calls out men for body-shaming Selena Gomez | Hollywood

In 2023, Selena Gomez faced criticism for her weight gain. The singer-actor later clarified that her medication for the autoimmune condition lupus was the cause. Recently, the author and content creator Tova Leigh took to Instagram to defend the singer against trolls who fat-shamed her, and actors Sharon Stone and Gwyneth Paltrow joined in support. Sharon Stone and Gwyneth Paltrow react to…

[sethshead]

h/t Tova Leigh

[dayscapism]

I wanna add some other fantasy recommendations that don't really have many similarities with Harry Potter but are still worth reading.

The Bear and the Nightningale (Winternight trilogy) by Katherine Arden (adult): In the northern countryside of medieval Russia (Rus') we follow a girl named Vasya who can see the spirits of the old folktales, the wild ones of the forest and rivers, and the little ones who care for the home. We follow her as she grows up and this magical world clashes with the arrival of Christianity. Throughout series she meets the winter king, a bear spirit of chaos, the prince of Moscow, evil sorcerers, a Baba Yaga, a spirit of midnight, and gets a cute horse companion. This series is a favourite of mine. Great to read in winter, you will feel the cold in your bones.

The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski (adult, series + video games, magical creatures & East European folktales, dark magic, political fantasy)

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (adult, series, ongoing, LGBTQ+ rep, ): Inspired and set in Mesoamerica -- pre-Columbian times. The winter solstice is usually a time of celebration in the holy city of Tova, but this year there will be a solar eclipse, and it proscribes unbalancing of the world. Meanwhile, a ship bound for Tova is captained by a disgraced woman and carries one passager, who is a young blind man, scarred and cloaked in destiny.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (standalone, adult, also set in Mesoamerica)

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (middle grade, trilogy)

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia (middle grade, trilogy, adventure, African-American folktales and West African mythology)

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Pedro (YA, trilogy, high fantasy, warrior queens, phoenix riders, sister rivalry)

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (YA, series, western fairytale princesses retellings, soft sci-fi)

The Cruel Prince trilogy & The Stolen Heir duology by Holly Black (YA, political romance, faeries)

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace (YA, romance)

An Ember in the Ashes by Saaba Tahir (YA, quartet, recommended for fans of Sarah J Maas' Throne of Glass)

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (YA, series)

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (YA, trilogy, parallel Londons)

Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo (YA/Adult)

City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (YA, chosen one, political fantasy)

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee (YA, ongoing series, LGBTQ+, superheroes & supervillains)

So JK Rowling is shit, read this instead of Harry Potter - part 1/3:

Part 2 - Middle grade/children's books

Part 3 - Young Adult

This is a list of fantasy books (and some sci-fi) for people who no longer want to support a transphobe & bigot but are still having a hard time finding something that fills the void of Harry Potter. This is a long list, with adult, middle grade and YA recs, divided into 3 parts, one for each age range. Most of these books are far better than HP anyway; better written, great character work, better theme exploration, more atmospheric, etc.

You can still enjoy your merch, books or movies you already own, no one is telling you you can't like or love Harry Potter and the Wizarding World, but please consider diversifying your media so you don't wrongly assume this franchise is the best fantasy ever and nothing can top it when that is simply not true.

Let's go then!

If you take anything from this post, let it be this series because it is the perfect alternative:

The Nevermoor Series by Jessica Townsend!

This really should blow up worldwide, be the new fantasy phenomenon. It honestly pains me to even put it beside or compare it to Harry Potter. It feels disrespectful to Nevermoor, but it has everything and more you want out of HP. Traumatized kid protagonist who gets whisked away into an alternate world of magic, finds out she's special, meets a wonderful magical mentor/father figure (who isn't actually awful like Dumbledore is to Harry), lots of school friendships and found family, a wonderful setting including a magic school and a magical city with all kinds of fantastical landmarks and alleyways; with magical markets dark and whimsical both. There's magical trials, witches, oracles, fantastical giant creatures, sentient magical animals, and so much more. And it has good discussions on themes of discrimination, school bullying, and mental health. If you like Coraline or The Adams Family, this is perfect for you, too. Plus, this series is written by a queer author who has shown active support to social causes like Palestine.

The series is still releasing, so if you have kids in your life they could grow up with the series as it comes out.

Books in the series:

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow

Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow

Currently waiting on Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow

Rest of the recommendations under the cut:

As a guide, these are the things I associate with Harry Potter: wizards & witches, magic school, horror elements, mythical/magical creatures, mystery, nostalgia, magical trinkets & artefacts, themes of friendship, family & love and discussions of death/death imagery. Dark forest, ghosts, gloomy aesthetic, medieval castles, cosy reading rooms, libraries, very British, Christmas & Halloween, dark forests, a relatively modern world combined with magic/alternate world, astronomy/astrology, divination. Also tropes like magic politics & bureaucracy, prophecies, the chosen + dead parents, coming of age, discussions on discrimination and outcasts (sort of), good triumphing over evil, overcoming childhood trauma, school-bullying, and also the protagonist is sort of a celebrity for reasons they can't control which others them from society.

These recommendations are based on that, but of course, each recommended book is much more than its similarities with harry potter, a world in itself. This list is only a starting point and is NOT comprehensive.

Titles marked with a ★ star are books I've read and personally recommend for its similarities and reminiscences with Harry Potter.

Graphic novel recommendations:

Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Adult books: Great alternatives to the later HP books and for readers who don't vibe with middle grade or YA anymore.

★ The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang (trilogy): A dark-skinned, low-class provincial orphan enters a military academy, and must prove her value as a soldier. She discovers she has a hidden, lethal power. High fantasy, based on the Chinese wars and history of the 20th century. Has a magic school/military school setting in the first book. Discussions on the horrors of war and a person's loss of humanity under extenuating circumstances. Excellent character work.

★ Discworld by Terry Pratchett (YA/Adult, different series set in the same world). In particular, the Witches, Death, and Ricewind sub-series have similarities to HP in subject, characters, setting or themes. These books have lots of British humour and excellent commentary on social issues, and a little bit of a magical school and magic learning too.

★ T. Kingfisher books: Nettle & Bone, What Moves the Dead, Thorn Hedge, Paladin's Grace, A House With Good Bones and more. She does mostly fairy tale retellings and horror. Great for fans of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

★ The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (standalone): You want magic? Well, this is, I think, the most magical book ever written. It's so atmospheric, whimsical, historical, and dark. It's about two magicians duelling each other, showing off their magical abilities, under the wishes of their families/mentors (Dumbledore, anyone?). The competition takes place in a magical circus that only opens at night. It's full of magic, romance, betrayal, and wonderful prose. Perfect if you like The Goblet of Fire but you would want a more quiet, aesthetic version of the tournament.

★ Dead Djinn series by P. Djeli Clark (series, mystery, novel + novellas that can be read in any order): This is about supernatural detectives in an alternate history of the city of Cairo, a city full of otherworldly creatures. There's a Ministry of Alchemy, LGBTQ+ rep, discussions of colonialism (especially committed by the British), lots of cheeky humour and cool magical artefacts or magic mixed with technology. It's also set in the 1910s, so it's great for fans of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (ongoing series): This has a highly-praised magic school setting. It's about a notorious wizard who narrates his story; his childhood, years being a feral orphan, his school years and then life as a fugitive of the law. This series is hailed as one of the best ones in fantasy right now. Great prose too.

Black Prism by Brent Weeks (series): We all know HP is not applauded for having the most coherent magic system. Well, in this book you get a really inventive magic system based on light: in this world, some people can use different colours of visible light to do magic. The people who can use all of them are called Prisms. We follow this one magician who is the current Prism, most powerful man in the world, high priest and emperor, and also a man of wit and charm. He knows Prisms never last though... Great for people who would like a book about a powerful, high-achieving magician, like say, Dumbledore.

★ Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (duology): A young librarian is convinced of the existence of the mythical city of Weep, which was cut from the rest of the world two hundred years ago. He is obsessed. No one believes him. One day an opportunity to travel to said city presents itself and all his dreams come true. But the city hides a dark past, and not all the inhabitants were always human: some were gods with blue skin. Beautifully written, whimsical at every turn but also full of complex, deep subjects.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (ongoing series): It's dark academia in Yale but if Yale had a bunch of occult secret clubs. A freshman, Alex, is the sole survivor of a multiple homicide and still searching for answers herself. She arrives at the school tasked to monitor the activities of the secret societies full of rich students. But the occult activities are more sinister and extraordinary than what she imagined.

Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (standalone): Magic school but now the protagonist is the witch teacher instead of the students, and who comes to teach magic to three young witches. Her coworkers are all a little eccentric, and the love interest is the grumpy librarian. A wholesome, cosy fantasy romance set in alternate contemporary times. Also with the found family trope.

★ Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb (multiple series): Hobb is one of the big names of fantasy. This is a low fantasy medieval world, with dragons, assassins, animal familiars, royal courts and backstabbing politics. If you like Game of Thrones, you'll probably like this series too. These books are character-centric to Fitz, the protagonist and bastard-born to the late crown prince, and the court jester, the Fool. The first trilogy is about Fitz's apprenticeship as an assassin to the royal family, his coming-of-age discovery of multiple hidden magic abilities that connect him to his family and the world of beasts, and his journey to save his uncle and country. So basically a non-formal magical school. Hobb has some problematic LGBTQ+ representation, though; she couldn't write a good queer character if her life depended on it. She seems to have the biases of her time ingrained in her and it shows in her writing. So there's that to consider.

★ The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (trilogy): You want a series that you will be thinking about for the rest of your life?? This one. This one is it. This trilogy is about a world where every certain time, there's a worldwide cataclysmic seismic/volcanic disaster. Humanity has evolved strict tactics to survive this, but some individuals are born with the ability to affect seismic movements. These individuals are feared and are put as children into a school where they can learn to control their superhuman abilities and later be in service of the government. One of our protagonists is one of these children. It's about motherhood and community, and has LGBTQ+ with in-text trans, bisexual, and polyamory representation. It discusses subjects of technological advancement, society and discrimination.

Vita Nostra by Marina & Sergey Dyachenko (duology): This is often called "the anti-Harry Potter book". It has elements of mystery-thriller, plays with time/time loops, a magical university, post-soviet culture in Ukraine, metamorphosis, and it's very atmospheric. It's also recommended for fans of The Night Circus and The Magicians. It's best if you go into it not knowing much.

Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (series): For fans of Charlie Weasley and Newt Scamander, set in a world where dragons are real. The protagonist and narrator is the world's preeminent dragon naturalist, who is set to bring these creatures of myth into the light of modern science. It's a coming-of-age story, about learning, and expeditions in search of magical creatures. It's more historical fiction than fantasy though.

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey (standalone, mystery, urban fantasy): About a private investigator who never wanted to be magical. Not like her estranged sister, who is a magically gifted professor. But when she is hired to investigate the gruesome murder of a faculty member in her sister's academy, the detective starts to lose herself in the crime and the life she could have had.

★ House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: LGBTQ+ rep, boarding school, perspective from the teachers/caretakers PoV, and feral, traumatized magical children. Edit: This book has been criticized for being anti-indigenous, in particular with the "boarding school" plot line being insensitive and trivializing the history of erasure, violence and forced assimilation done by the colonizers towards the indigenous people of Canada. Some consider this to be just a coincidence of the narrative but do keep it in mind.

The Dark Fantastic by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (non-fiction): Exploration of race in popular youth & YA speculative fiction. Analyzing popular media including Harry Potter. Explores radical imagination & Afrofuturism in Black feminism, books and fan fiction to reveal new possibilities.

Disclaimer: I'm just one person/reader, I haven't checked the political or moral views of all these authors or if they're a shitty person. Anything I know or majorly problematic stuff is considered and accounted for, but it's not realistic for me to deep-check each author I ever read. But anyone is welcome to chime in if you know of something we should be aware of about these books/authors.

Always remember to check for trigger warnings (TW), especially for adult books.

Happy reading!

Supporting Sources:

https://www.aspiraldance.com/middle-grade-and-young-adult-books-to-read-instead-of-harry-potter/

https://missprint.wordpress.com/2022/09/01/back-to-magic-school-harry-potter-alternatives-booklist/

Goodreads for synopses.

[momcave]

Tova Leigh | | MomCave LIVE

Tova Leigh | | MomCave LIVE

Tova Leigh, best-selling author of “F*cked at 40,” has a brand new hilarious book out. Tova and Jen chat live about confessions, outrageous stories, and how YOU can win a signed copy of Tova Leigh’s new book! (This post contains some affiliate links to stuff we love and we know you will too!) Tova Leigh on MomCave LIVE (Transcript Below) Jen: I’m Jen from MomCave. And this is MomCave Live…

[sleepyjaneart]

Honey Heist 3: Tova’s Honeys!

Episode banner and avatars for Marisha’s 3rd(!!) one shot.

[yellowhoothoot]

Grizz is basically Gayle, right?

bonus:

[freshprinceofbellairashari]

Honey Heist 3: Tova’s Honeys was the best!!

[pagerunner-j]

Friendly reminder that if you, like me, have been watching and enjoying the new She-Ra series on Netflix, you can watch showrunner Noelle Stevenson this very Friday on Critical Role’s special Honey Heist episode. I mean, her character is a goddamn were-bear. What’s not to love?

Honey Heist 3: Tova’s Honeys

Friday, November 23rd at 7pm Pacific

Our bear-y amazing BM (Bear Master) Marisha Ray is stepping behind the GM screen yet again for an all-honey Honey Heist, featuring Noelle Stevenson as Tova, Brittany Walloch-Key as Clair McFuzz, Krystina Arielle as Bearah Pawcett, Dani Carr as Drew Bearymoore, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Grizz Leigh Bayer, and Laura Bailey as The Midnight Maven.

[lifebynea]

Tova Leigh ~ WCW

Tova Leigh ~ WCW

This week’s Women Crush Wednesday is all about Tova Leigh. Many of you might now know her. But she is an inspirational woman that has given me so much hope for the future and that I am beautiful just the way I am. 

Some of the reasons why she is this weeks WCW:

She doesn’t take shit from anyone.

She is brutally honest, about parenthood, about being a woman. Well, literally everything. 

She…

[nicolabee88]

I cannot understand how in 2019 we are going backwards with abortion laws. What I do with my body is none or your business and does not affect you. Reporting rape is a joke and I would imagine the only saving grace in this situation may be an abortion. However some men (and women I believe) have decided it’s not ok for women to make their own choices.

No. What is NOT OK is rape. What is NOT OK is incest. What is NOT OK is abusive relationships. What is NOT OK is people forcing their opinions onto others and pressuring them into continuing pregnancies.

We need to support CHOICE. We need to support INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. We need to accept that not everyone thinks the same as we do. We need to recognise that if the shoe was on the other foot, we may in fact wish we were able to decide ourselves what to do with our pregnancy.

Xxx

[theinvulnerabletide]

Tova: The Brains (obv) Drew Bearymoore: The Muscle The Midnight Maven: The Face Bearah Pawcett: The Hacker Grizz Leigh Bayer: The Driver Claire McFuzz: The Thief

Let’s roll Honeys.

[cyclone-rachel]

books read in January 2023:

Anne of Green Gables (graphic novel), adapted by Mariah Marsden and Brenna Thummler

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

The Employees by Olga Ravn

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Flight of the Prince by James Tynion IV

Idol, Burning by Rin Usami

Decelerate Blue by Adam Rapp

Galatea by Madeline Miller

Ant-Man: World Hive by Zeb Wells

The Secret Talker by Geling Yan

Friday Black by Nana Adjei-Brenyah

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire

Other Lives by Peter Bagge

Holy Hannah by Will Dinski

American Cult edited by Robyn Chapman

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

It’s Better to be Feared by Seth Wickersham

Sea of Stars vol. 1 by Jason Aaron

Indelicacy by Amina Cain

Deadendia: The Watcher’s Test by Hamish Steele