the handmaid’s tale

March 1, 2021

Music Monday – The Handmaids Tale

Margaret Atwood has an innate ability to paint a dystopia that feels extremely realistic and close to the present day world. There has been renewed interest in Atwood’s seminal novel The Handmaid’s Tale due to its relevance and the Emmy-winning Hulu adaptation. To celebrate this strong Canadian author and fueler of nightmares, we created a playlist inspired by The Handmaid’s Tale.

The motifs for the playlist were medal protest songs that illustrate themes of the books. From Burn the Witch, which illustrates the power the commanders have over the handmaids and how fear rules their lives, to Secrets by One Republic, which illustrates the relationship Offred and Nick have, to the Jefferson Airplane’s The White Rabbit, which displays the coping mechanisms for the sexual and emotional abuse the system and the commanders inflict upon them.

Featured Image via mashable

September 23, 2020

Margaret Atwood Wins Dayton Literary Peace Prize

Margaret Atwood, the iconic Canadian author whose body of work includes The Handmaid’s Tale and Alias Grace, was announced as the winner of the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award last Monday. This award celebrates the ability of literature to promote peace and justice globally.

Atwood’s most well-known novel, the aforementioned The Handmaid’s Tale, concerns America becoming a Totalitarian Dystopia, where women’s rights are stripped away by a theocratic government, and fertile women are forced to bear children for men and their wives. The novel has become more popular over the last few years with a Hulu adaptation starring Elizabeth Moss. However, Atwood has faith that Americans can avoid this fate. She told a reporter for the Associated Press: “And if I were a betting person, which naturally I kind of am, I would bet on American orneriness and refusal to line up…So I don’t think you’re going to get people marching in lockstep easily…You could get it. but it would be hard.”

image courtesy of amazon

Sharon Rab, the founder of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation, praised Atwood’s work for educating people on important topics like social justice. Speaking to the Associated Press, she said: “Margaret Atwood continues to remind us that ‘it can’t happen here’ cannot be depended upon; anything can happen anywhere given the right circumstances…her lessons are more vital than ever.”

The award comes with $10,000 (A little over 13,000 CAD). Previous winners include feminist Gloria Steinem and holocaust survivor and novelist Elie Wiesel. The ceremony, to be originally held in October, will be held in Spring 2021 due to COVID-19. Atwood will be joined by winners of the fiction and nonfiction categories, which have yet to be announced.

Feature image via The Guardian

March 12, 2020

10 of the Coolest Heroines in Fiction

For much of history, much like in real life, female characters in fiction were sidelined, often not promoted to the front like their male counterparts until recently. But this has begun to change, with the strong and nuanced female character coming to the forefront of genres like fantasy, science fiction, historical and more! And even looking back throughout literary history, there are numerous examples of kickass women who paved the way forward. Here some of the best, counting down from ten!

10. Offred- The Handmaid’s Tale

Image Via Amazon

The Handmaid’s Tale tells of a future where women have been reduced to the role of reproductive slaves in a society run by a religious order, made into the property of men and forbidden from reading, writing, or holding positions of power. Offred, whose real name is June, is a woman who dreams of a better life and despite all the hardship she endures, she instills the spark of rebellion, piece by piece, through her actions and inspires women around her. She may not be an action hero but it’s clear she’s the strongest character, holding power over the men who claim to own her.

9. Sabriel- Sabriel

Image via Goodreads

In a world where the dead walk the earth, one young woman holds the key to countering the dark evil rising from the depths of the underworld. Enter Sabriel, an eighteen-year-old girl who is finishing her work at an all-female college where she sees a vision of the dead walking out from the other realm beyond her own to infest the earth. Sent by her father to stop a group of Necromancers, Sabriel is fierce, ferocious, but also very human and showcases a quiet inner strength that allows her to overcome Death itself.

8. Nancy Drew-Nancy Drew mystery stories

Image via Tvline

Nancy Drew was created in the 1930s but nevertheless emerged to become an icon for countless generations. A young girl working as an amateur detective, Nancy Drew constantly went headfirst into danger, exploring abandoned castles, creepy mansions, slimy swamps, and dark basements to solve mystery after mystery. The character has been updated to become stronger and older as the years went by, letting her evolve while also staying true to her roots, always a girl as brave as any boy and sniffing out the next case to crack.

7. Matilda- Matilda

Image via Entertainment

Another young girl, Matilda emerged as one of the best characters of Roald Dahl’s novels who has a love of reading and kindness while also possessing rad telekinesis. She overcomes adversity not through brute force, contrasting her nemesis, the Trunchbull, a massive tyrant of a headmaster who bullies the children in her care. Matilda’s mind is her greatest asset and is gleeful to see her emerge as the smartest person in the room. You can’t help but cheer as she overcomes the Trunchbull, letting her mind flow freely to literally grab the brute of a woman and give her a taste of her own medicine.

6. Princess Cimorene- Dealing with Dragons

Image via Wikipedia

This princess turns the classic trope of a fair damsel getting kidnapped by a dragon and rescued by a knight on its head. Cimorene runs away from her kingdom where her parents try to make her marry an undesirable prince, runs to a dragon, and takes up a job under the dragon’s wing. Cimorene takes charge of her life from the first chapter, showcasing her strength, wit, and skill to get a life she wants, not the one the story has set out for her. And she gets to be best friends with a dragon, which is badass.

5. Isabella Trent- A Natural History of Dragons

Image Via Book Reviews

Written as a memoir by supposed famous dragon naturalist Lady Trent, A Natural History of Dragons chronicles the adventures of Isabella Trent who strives to become the authority of dragonology. Written as a bookish, very English sort of woman, Isabella is prim and proper, erudite and sophisticated while possessing a true passion for the dragons of the world. She would sooner examine a dragon up close than scream in terror, being truly fascinated and possessing a scholarly disposition that makes her quite lovable. It’s wonderful to watch her evolve as the series goes on, seeing her adventures with dragons and showcasing how she is the most brilliant mind in the room.

4. Katniss Everdeen- The Hunger Games

Image via Forbes

Thrust into The Hunger Games, a bloodsport that pits her against teens from fellow Districts, Katniss Everdeen rises to the occasion to take control of her destiny. Refusing to play by the Capital’s rules, she fights against the game at every opportunity, first refusing to kill her supposed ‘enemy’ Peeta at the game’s end, threatening to kill herself if the Capital doesn’t let them both live. Eventually, she becomes the leader of a rebellion against the District entirely, becoming a full-fledged warrior as the Districts rise around her to overthrow President Snow. Katniss is a champion for inner strength, fierceness, and stone-cold badassery.

3. Scout Finch- To Kill a Mockingbird

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Scout is great because of how real she feels. She narrates the book from her POV, showcasing her child’s view of the world, making us fall in love with her mannerisms and her feisty attitude. She’s curious, always ready to get into a fight, and a tomboy, contrasting with the small-town atmosphere around her that disapproves of her unladylike ways. She is at once relatable, yet always reminding us she’s a child and has a lot of growing up to do. But Scout is always wonderful, a great protagonist who showcases the spirit of a woman beneath her childish exterior.

2. Arya Stark- A Song of Ice and Fire

Image Via the Wrap

One of the protagonists of Game of Thrones, Arya began as an immature girl, the third child of Ned Stark who was interested in very unladylike things, being feisty and independent. But as the series progresses, she grows into a fully-fledged warrior, swearing revenge on those who killed her family and becoming one of the Faceless Men, learning their skills as an assassin. She wields an awesome sword named Needle and ventures across Westeros, trying to complete her list of named targets. Extremely popular with fans, Arya is vicious despite her small size and should never be underestimated.

1. Hermione Granger- Harry Potter

Image via Vox

One of the iconic figures in the series, Hermione is arguably more capable than Harry, being an intelligent teenager with a gift for magic, an aptitude for history, and often described as a walking encyclopedia. Favoring brains over brawn, she comes up with the plans throughout the series and often represents a clear-headed contrast to the more impulsive Ron or even Harry. She isn’t without her flaws, with her fear of failure driving her to nearly kill herself as she drowns herself in schoolwork, but she always proves herself a strong young woman, ready to smack anyone who challenges or insults her.

Featured Image Via Amazon

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October 1, 2019

Top Picks: 5 Stellar Sci-Fi and Fantastical Fantasy Picks

Each week, Bookstr gives you a look at some of the best novels in a particular genre for your continued reading list.

Today, we’ll be recommending five Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels that you have to get on board reading or else you might be unprepared to deal with technological villains, menacing zombies, or the horrors of a tyrannical government.

5-Testaments by Margret Atwood

Image Via Encylopedia Britannica

How could we forget about Margret Atwood? A total boss, she’s the woman behind this Tweet.

THIS IS HOW YOU TWEET J K / Image Via Reddit

And she’s brought us a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, Testaments.

Image Via Amazon

Set fifteen years after the events of the previous book, the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but the lives of three different women are about to converge.

Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women come together thanks to a third voice belonging to a woman who wields power through the ruthless accumulation and deployment of secrets.

Released September 10th, this book has made headway and continues to stay in the public consciousness. Read it now!…Or be left behind.

4-Treason of Thorns by Laura E Weymouth

Image Via Goodreads

Laura E Weymouth’s debut YA fantasy, The Light Between Worlds, was published to critical acclaim on October 23, 2018 and this year she’s given us another September 10th release: A Treason of Thorns.

Image Via Amazon

We follow Violet Sterling, a woman who once lived in the Burleigh House. One of the six great houses in England, Burleigh’s magic kept both the countryside and Violet happy until one fateful day when Violet’s father destroyed everything.

Seven years later, Violet has lived in exile with an overwhelming desire to return home. Now she must return home, grief-stricken, her very soul tearing itself apart, telling her that soon the magic that once made her so happy now threatens to destroy the countryside.

Gripping and utterly unique, we agree with Kirkus Reviews when they summed up this book with one word: “Spellbinding”.

3-A Trick of Light by Stan Lee and Kat Rosenfield

Image Via Variety

Stan “The Man” Lee needs no introduction. You know him, you’ve seen him, he lives on in all our hearts, but before he passed on he teamed up with supremely talented Kat Rosenfield, author of Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone. Together, they’ve given us this wonderful book.

Image Via Amazon

The first installment in the Alliances series, A Trick of Light follows Nia, a 17-year-old genius hacker. Lonely beyond belief, Nia spends her days in a hologram classroom to learn everything about the world, a place she is forever separately from.

Then one day, everything changes. First, nerdy Cameron gets struck by lightning while filming a new video for his Youtube channel. Waking up in a hospital, he realizes that he has changed and he is able to connect to every electronic device.

From here, he soon meets Nia in an online game and they quickly become friends. But then they cross paths with OPTIC who wants their skill set for their own evil plans. Can they stop him and the galactic threat they poses?

Want to read this exciting, gripping, gut-punching story? It came out September 17th and has exceeded our expectations so much we here at Bookstr have to smile and say, “Excelsior!” to Stan and Kat.

2-The Bone House by Emily Lloyd Jones

Image Via Twitter

Author of The Hearts We Sold and Murder on the Disoriented Express, Emily Lloyd Jones brought us a new release last September 24th.

Image Via Amazon

Since the death of their parents, seventeen-year-old Aderyn “Ryn” and her siblings have been scraping by as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren. But things get hairy when she learns first hand that sometimes the dead don’t always stay dead.

Legend says that these risen corpses, known as “bone houses”, are the result of a decades-old curse, but when Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity.

Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of the mountains, to search for buried secrets, but some things are meant to stay buried.

Kirkus Reivews, as well us at Bookstr, promises that this is “[a] stand-alone dark fantasy that readers will want to sink their teeth into”

1-There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

Image Via Twitter

This Katy Rose Pool’s debut novel, and thank heavens she’s got more in store for us!

Image Via Amazon

For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity using their visions of the future. Then, a hundred years ago, they vanished. But they left behind one final prophecy, foretelling of an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation . . . or the cause of its destruction.

Now five souls are set on a collision course:

A prince exiled from his kingdom.

A ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand.

A once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart.

A reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone.

And a dying girl on the verge of giving up.

In the words of Kirkus Reviews, this September 24th release is “[a] well-crafted, surprising, and gripping start to a new trilogy.”

Featured Images Via Nerd Daily, The Independent, and Amazon

September 19, 2019

Beloved Author Graeme Gibson Passes At 85

Canadian author and conservationist Graeme Gibson passed away on Wednesday, September 18th at the age of 85 due to dementia. The announcement was made by Gibson’s publisher, Penguin Random House Canada.

Image Via Georgia Straight

Gibson is known for writing experimental fiction novels such as Five Legs and Communion, both centering around the character Felix Oswald and his dark, twisted coming-of-age adventures. An avid bird watcher, Gibson also wrote collections based on his bird watching, his most well-known being The Bedside Book of Birds.

Gibson was the longtime partner of Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale and the recently released The Testaments. Even though he was suffering from dementia, he still joined Atwood on her book promotion tour.

In an interview with Time magazine, Atwood said that she wrote The Testaments while caring for Gibson.

Image Via Glob Intel

Are you sad to hear about Gibson’s death?

Featured Image Via CBC