The 8th Rank – Book Club Discussion Questions

May 2, 2022Leave a comment

Happy Spring Book Friends, Amy here!

A lot has been going on but I’m glad to be back and reading another book by one of my favorite Art Over Chaos authors, Rose Sinclair. For April, we’ll be reading The 8th Rank, a delightful mishmash of fairy tale characters and adventure. Let’s look at the reading outline!

Week One: Chapters 1-5

Week Two: Chapters 6-9

Week Three: Chapters 10-15

Week Four: Chapters 16-End

I’m excited to get started! So let’s dive into that storybook setting! If you haven’t picked up your copy yet you can do so here, or ask for it wherever books are sold. I got mine in paperback but it’s also in ebook and on kindle unlimited if you’d prefer.

Week 1: Chapters One – Five

I love fairy tale retellings and mash ups so much; something about familiar tropes used in a new way, characters we recognize who are viewed in a different light. The 8th Rank has lots of familiar characters reimagined all together and I can’t wait to experience it with all of you.

-To start off, what predictions do you have about Mal and his role in the story?

-The same for Jonathan, what role do you think he will play in both the story and Mal’s life?

-How could Sphie work to bring them together?

-What fairy tale characters and tropes have started to appear in the story?

-What does Humphrey mean about words? How do words and agreements play a part in fairy tales? Why would someone need to choose their words carefully? How might this come back later in the story?

-How might the sleeping princess play a role in the future? What might happen if she wakes up and the magic can return?

-How do fairy tales work with political intrigue?

-Please appreciate with me just how gay Mal is. There is no question.

-How do the cards suits match up with the royalty they serve? What might the other suits mean? And what royalty might they serve?

-What do you think of the two princes we’ve met so far?

-What predictions do you have for the rest of the book? What might Mal’s memories be leading him towards?

Week 2 – Chapter Six – Nine

I love the idea of the suits of cards being different kingdoms. I’m excited to see who we will discover next!

-What fairy tale references do you notice in this section?

-Compared to Hansel and Gretel, and even Sophie, Mal and Jonathan are adults. How do they handle the gingerbread house differently? How do children and adults handle these types of conflicts differently?

-What seems to trigger Mal’s memories to return? What do we learn about him?

-How does getting his memories back change him?

-How does the book subvert the story of Little Red Riding Hood?

-Do you agree with Jonathan about choosing your fate? Why or why not? Would you rather have a quiet life in the same place or a busy life traveling to different places? What are some pros and cons of each?

-How is music its own kind of magic?

-What would you do in Mal’s situation? Jonathan’s?

-Any predictions for finding Robin and the Queen?

Week 3 – Chapters Ten – Fifteen

We last left off with Mal resolving to go after Robin; let’s see what the others decide as well!

-Do you think Jonathan has a point about Mal’s magic? What could be waiting for them?

-What fairy tales are in this section? How do they mix with the past characters and places to further flesh out the world?

-How is the Huntsman both alike and different from his fairy tale counterpart(s)?

-How is magic in fairy tales both good and evil? How does the Big Bad Magic series borrow from that ancient tradition?

-What do you think might happen with Robin? What plans might they have?

-What does Red gain by doing what she did? What do you think she’ll do now? Does this change anything with Robin’s plan?

-Interruptions, am I right?

-What predictions do you have about the war? About Mal and Robin? Jonathan?

Week 4 – Chapters Sixteen – End

We’re at the edge of a civil war and relationships are running high! I can’t wait to finish this and see where it is all going!

-How does magic impact the fight? Does it make things better or worse for either side?

-What do you think about Red’s ending? Is it appropriate?

-Why do you think the counsel chose who they did to rule? What other options were out there?

-How do you think the new regime will be different for the old? What are some pros and cons of choosing a leader from outside established norms? What good are they hoping to bring to the kingdom and how do they have the experience to do it?

-Do Malcom and Robin get their happily ever after in your opinion?

-What do you think of Madison? (Who get’s his own book in The 9th Pawn, woo!) What role might he play in the Big Bad Magic universe?

-Let us once again appreciate how gay Mal is 🙂

Share what you loved about this book and tag us! And remember to leave a review!

Drowned In Milk Tea – Discussion Questions

February 4, 2022Leave a comment

Happy new year fellow ace book lovers! We are gonna start the new year off right with a delightful poetry collection by an equally delightful person, Anne Chivon. Drowned In Milk Tea is a little different, as there are prompts before each poem and the pages are not numbered. Our suggested reading schedule is below:

Week One: The first 7 poems
Week Two: The next 5 poems
Week Three: The next 5 poems
Week Four: The last 6 poems

Let’s get started!

Week One:

Prompt: Write your own love story

-What love story would you write?

-What images does the poem give you?

-Does the poem remind you of anyone?

-How does the poem make you feel?

Prompt: Write about a “heated” moment

-Have you ever felt like the poem describes? Are you willing to talk about it?

-How can heat in love or passion be both a good and a bad thing? How is heat in general both good and bad?

-How do the metaphors in the poem relate to a passionate relationship? Or an unhealthy one?

Prompt: Write a chase scene

-What kinds of highs have you chased in your life?

-Has a person ever made you feel a rush like the poem describes?

-Are you ever reminded of a person or event during a certain season? What kinds of things have given you flashbacks before?

Prompt: Write a meaningful touch

-Are there any physical touches that live in your memory rent free?

-How can good things sour?

-How does the metaphor of being drunk and vulnerable relate to falling in love? To a healthy relationship? An unhealthy one?

Prompt: Write about tragedy

-How does the poem make you feel? Have you ever been made to feel that way before?

-Do you think the poem reflects an unhealthy relationship? In what ways?

-In what ways does the poem show the how cyclical abuse and abusers can be?

Prompt: Write about decay

-Have you ever experienced a love that decayed? How did it make you feel?

-What metaphors can you identify in the poem? How do they paint an image of decay? How does love decay?

Prompt: Write about something that’s burnt

-Have you ever met someone you felt was heartless? What made you feel that way?

-What emotions does a burnt heart make you feel? Does it remind you of anything or anyone?

-Have you ever been in a relationship (including friendships) that felt like the author is describing? What was the outcome?

Week Two:

Prompt: Write about dressing up

-Have you ever dressed up for someone else? Have you dressed up for yourself? How does it make you feel?

-How can makeup be used as a metaphor for something false or just pretty on the outside?

-What do butterfly kisses evoke for you?

Prompt: Write about something red

-What does the color red mean to you? What kinds of emotions does it evoke?

-How does the poem make you feel? Have you ever felt like that before? Has a person ever made you feel that way?

-Once again, makeup is being used as a metaphor. What does it represent in this poem? What is being covered or hidden?

Prompt: Write a “crystallizing” moment

-How does a relationship ending or an unhealthy relationship feel like rock bottom? How could it be crushed between your teeth?

-Why would someone want to travel to get away? How can it be an escape?

-Have you ever wanted to escape a situation or relationship? What moment led to that?

Prompt: Write about the future

-Have you ever had a relationship that left you feeling like nothing? That left you feeling empty? Have you wanted to bite back against those feelings?

-How can you feel stronger after surviving a difficult situation? Do you think that can cause you to grow as a person and learn?

Prompt: Write about dishes piling up

-How can ending a relationship feel like wasted time?

-Do you ever look back on a relationship and remember the good, even if it ended badly?

-How do new relationships feel full of hope, and how can that hope and excitement change as time goes by?

-How are certain chores never ending? How can that be comparable to a relationship?

Week Three:

Prompt: Write something that disappears

-Have you ever wanted to disappear rather than facing something unpleasant?

-How are disappearing and escaping different? How can disappearing be a form of escape?

-What situations are appropriate or even good to disappear from?

Prompt: Write a timeline

-Do you know anyone that has stuck around in your subconscious longer than they did in person? Are you willing to tell us about them?

-How can an unhealthy relationship feel like holding your breath? Why might you still feel like you’re exhaling even after it’s over?

Prompt: Write something that repeats

-What does the word “again” mean to you? What does it mean in the sense of a relationship? Of getting over someone?

-How can unhealthy or abusive relationships fall into a repeating pattern?

-How does the line spacing in this poem contribute to the theme of the poem?

Prompt: Write about a first

-How does this poem also utilize the theme of “again” to make its point?

-Do you think a relationship can stay as good as it was in the beginning? Have you experienced that?

-How does this poem also use the theme of the cyclical nature of abuse and unhealthy relationships?

-Is there anything you think is just as good as the first time you experienced it?

Prompt: Write about something forgotten

-Do you have things you can never quite remember? Whether it’s tastes or smells or memories?

-Have you ever been in a relationship that was incompatible?

-How can strong happy emotions turn into strong bitter emotions?

Week Four

Prompt: Write about glass breaking

-What is something that has made you feel trapped? How can that help you relate to this poem?

-Explore the dynamic between being trapped by someone and then being let free. Can the person who did the trapping really let the other go?

-Can you really be “released” from a relationship?

Prompt: Write about something that is hidden

-How does a long term relationship change you? Your partner?

-What might the buried treasure look like? What would your buried treasure be?

Prompt: Write something you hear

-Can you find happiness without someone else?

-How can music help a person get over a relationship? How does music heal?

-In what ways are music and medication helpful for people?

Prompt: Write about an old joy

-Have you ever found it hard to let someone go but easy to take them back? How does that relate to the poem?

-How would you describe hearing from someone you care about after a long period of time?

-How is this poem another example of the cyclical nature of unhealthy relationships?

Prompt: Write about a breakdown

-How is poetry a good catharsis?

-Have you ever felt like there are a thousand words waiting to spill out? Do you write poetry? If not, what else do you do?

-Has anyone ever made you feel like the poem describes? What did you do to handle the emotions?

Prompt: Write about an aftertaste

-In what ways do relationships leave an aftertaste? How would you describe it?

-Do you ever find yourself nostalgic for things from your past? What causes it? Do you try to remember the good over the bad?

-How does the imagery of the poem make you feel? Does it adequately show what an unhealthy relationship is like?

Share your favorite poems and quotes from this collection! What themes did you most vibe with?

Gay Apparel Discussion Questions

January 6, 2022Leave a comment

Happy No-Longer Holiday Season, fellow guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

Let’s celebrate the season — on your schedule — with this adorable collection of holiday gayness, an advent calendar of fiction. While it’s not December 1, I am going to still go ahead and treat these as one story a day, finishing up on ‘Christmas Eve’. However, you should feel free to read them however you want! All at once, weekly, whatever works for you! Tis the Season and we all deserve something nice for making it through another year!

If you don’t have a copy you can get it during Fyeah Asexual’s Mental Health fundraiser event!

December 1: Mistlebro by Amy Michelle (that’s me!)

-Can you relate to Drew or Josh in this story? Was there ever a time you were nervous around a crush?

-How are the holidays a time for hope and romance?

-Have you ever kissed under a mistletoe?