Tuesday 14 November 2017

Top Ten Tuesday | Give Me Some Space, Man


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!


This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books I Want My Future Children to Read (Or nieces and nephews, Godchildren, etc.)' - I actually kind of did this topic back in May and I don't really want to repeat myself, but I also didn't want to miss another week of TTT!

I have a nephew and four nieces - yes, four! Christmas shopping is a nightmare! - and my oldest niece is a bookworm, too, which is lovely, but there are some things I still definitely need to teach her. I live in South Wales while my older sister lives in North England so I don't see my oldest niece or her brother and sister that often, and when I saw her a few months ago I just so happened to be wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. She told me I shouldn't be wearing it because, and I quote, 'Star Wars is for boys'.


I'm sure you can imagine my horror.

So today I'm going to talk about the sci-fi books I'd like my niece to read when she's a little older to help her learn that Star Wars, and science fiction, is for everyone. She doesn't have to like science fiction, but I don't want her thinking it's a genre she's not allowed to participate in.

(Just as a sidenote, I don't tend to read as much sci-fi as I'd like to so the sci-fi experts amongst you probably have even better recommendations than I do - please feel free to leave them down below!)


Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: When eighteen year old Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley penned this haunting tale she set up the foundations for the genre we now know as science fiction. What better way to realise it's a genre that was never meant for boys alone?

Feed by Mira Grant: One of my favourite books of all time, this book broke my heart into teeny tiny pieces and made me sob. I love this one because it's a zombie story that isn't really about zombies in the way traditional zombie stories are, and when my niece is older I hope she'll enjoy its commentary on politics and the media as much as I did.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers: Another one of my favourite books of all time and one I can't praise highly enough. Its discussions of gender, sexuality, race relations, family units and what it means to be human will stay with me for the rest of my life and I think anyone who reads this novel can learn something from it while also enjoying a beautiful story.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: I still haven't read this one myself (I know, I know, the shame!) but I swear I'm going to get to it soon and I think a book like this one would be the ideal story to get my niece thinking about feminism when she's a bit older.

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor: Another sci-fi story that discusses race relations and the validity of cultures both familiar and alien (hurr hurr) to us. As my niece will sadly be growing up in post-Brexit Britain, I hope she reads lots and lots of stories about why it's important not to dismiss another culture simply because it's different to her own.


The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: As much as I got sick of the genre, YA dystopian fiction is such a good starting point into science fiction, at least one strand of science fiction, especially for people like myself and my niece who aren't huge sci-fi people. Katniss Everdeen is one of the fiercest heroines around; my niece will be able to learn a lot from her, I think.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver: On the other end of the scale is a quieter dystopian tale, but an equally powerful one. One of the things I loved most about this book is that the heroine, Lena, is more traditionally feminine than a lot of the YA dystopian heroines out there, and unfortunately I think a lot of heroines were distanced from traditionally feminine things because how can a girl possibly be feminine and kick-ass? Thankfully there are different ways to be 'kick-ass' and Lena and Katniss are both prime examples of that.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: I think this could be a particularly good starting point for my niece when she's old enough to start reading YA. I love this series, and the fact that all of the books in the series are retellings of fairy tales means that they're accessible for readers who might be familiar with the fairy tales but find sci-fi a little intimidating. It worked for me! (Also can I take the moment to have a mini rant and say that it really annoys me when I see this series being described as a dystopian series - not every YA sci-fi book is dystopian!)

Blood Red Road by Moira Young: More post-apocalyptic than dystopian, this book is just so much fun and yet another book with a very interesting heroine; Saba's even fiercer than Katniss, I think, and I hope it would show my niece just how fun and versatile this genre is.

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Various Artists: Because let's face it, if my niece thinks Star Wars is for boys she probably thinks that about Marvel, too. Who better than Ms. Marvel herself to show her otherwise?

Which books made your list this week?

18 comments:

  1. Oooo, The Handmaid's Tale is a must read!! I loved that novel and need to reread it.

    Here's a link to my TTT post for this week: https://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2017/11/top-ten-tuesday-top-twelve-books-i-want.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really do need to get to it soon! Thanks for stopping by. =)

      Delete
  2. I’m glad your niece has you in her life to give her balance. I loved science fiction when I was young but it has been many, many years since I’ve tried it again. Thanks for your suggestions. I’ve added a couple to my own Amazon wish list!

    Here’s mine: https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2017/11/books-children-should-know-great.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. I couldn't agree more with The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet- loved that book! And it just so happens I'm reading The Hunger Games now for the first time, so I'm looking forward to FINALLY be reading it! These look like all great choices though. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TLWtaSAP is fantastic, isn't it? I hope you enjoy The Hunger Games! Catching Fire was my favourite of the books. =)

      Delete
  4. I love your take on this week's topic! I'm not a huge sci fi fan either, but I've read and enjoyed a few books on this list. I haven't read Cinder yet, but I'm dying to! Here is my Top Ten Tuesday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I hope you enjoy Cinder when you get to it. ^_^

      Delete
  5. Some great choices on her for your niece -- and definitely showing her that Sci-Fi isn't just for boys.

    She may be interested in Doctor Who as it moves forward with the first female Doctor debuting at Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love your take on the topic this week! :-) I think it's important not to pigeon-hole sci-fi for just boys!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Handmaid’s Tale is my favorite book ever. I hope you like it!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, excellent choices, and an excellent topic! Girls NEED sci fi, especially sci fi with strong female characters at the lead. Binti is a terrific choice! As are all on your list... now I need to spend some time looking at my shelves and figuring out what other sci fi titles I'd pick for girls!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love your list! Cinder is on mine too! And aww! while your niece sounds cute I am glad that you're being such a great aunt and I know now she's gonna learn about some cool SciFi niverse! While I don't enjoy most SciFi books, Marvel and Star Wars are my love so I know even if she doesn't find SciFi genre interesting, she'll love these books!

    ReplyDelete
  10. The Hunger Games was on my list this week too! SciFi isn't my favourite genre, but there are certain things I enjoy. I hope you manage to show your niece that SciFi isn't just for boys!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/top-ten-tuesday-133/

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think that you'd make an excellent teacher for her!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yaass, star wars is so for girls too, Leia would attest to that! Love this list! I just read the long way to the small angry planet and loved it!

    ReplyDelete