Book Club Schedule (February & March 2024)
[ID: A logo with the silhouette of a spoon hovering over an open book. The text reads “Hashtag Chronically Iconic Book Club 2024 Schedule”. The text is on a white square surrounded by illustrations of purple, red, and pink peonies on a gray background]
Hi, bookish friends! It’s been a while but I’m back to share the 2024 schedule for the #ChronicallyIconicBookClub!
This is my 3rd year hosting this book club (dedicated to reading books with disability representation) and I’m so excited to read even more fabulous #DisabilityReads with this wonderful community!
We will be discussing each of these books via Instagram group chat. Everyone is welcome so please DM me on Instagram or comment below if you’d like to join us!
[ID: On a same white square with colorful pink and purple flowers, text reads “February’s read: The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth, Adult fantasy mystery with fibromyalgia rep, Discussion date March 9-10. An image of a book cover with four silhouettes in front of a purple pentagram is also attached.]
February’s Read:
[ID: An image of a book cover with an illustration four silhouettes (three witches and a ghost with cat ears) in front of a purple pentagram. Newsprint surrounds the image and two purple beetles crawl across the cover. The text “Be gay. Solve crimes. Take naps.” is written between the title and the author’s name.]
The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth
Representation: adult fantasy mystery with fibromyalgia based on the author’s personal experience
Discussion: March 9-10 on Instagram
(Special note: this one is sadly not available as an audiobook but if you would like instructions on how to turn a kindle book into an audiobook please comment below or contact me on Instagram.)
Summary:
A magical serial killer is stalking the Occult town of Wrackton. Hypnotic whistling causes victims to chew their own tongues off, leading to the killer being dubbed the Whistler (original, right?). But outside the lack of taste buds and the strange magical carvings on the victims’ torsos, the murderer leaves no evidence. No obvious clues. No reason – or so it seems.
Enter the Undetectables, a detective agency run by three witches and a ghost in a cat costume (don’t ask). They are hired to investigate the murders, but with their only case so far left unsolved, will they be up to the task? Mallory, the forensic science expert, is struggling with pain and fatigue from her recently diagnosed fibromyalgia. Cornelia, the team member most likely to go rogue and punch a police officer, is suddenly stirring all sorts of feelings in Mallory. Diana, the social butterfly of the group, is hitting up all of her ex-girlfriends for information. And not forgetting ghostly Theodore – deceased, dramatic, and also the agency’s first dead body and unsolved murder case.
With bodies stacking up and the case leading them to mysteries at the very heart of magical society, can the Undetectables find the Whistler before they become the killer’s next victims?
Trigger/content warnings: ableism, asphyxiation, blood rituals, body horror, ritual carvings, insects, toxic relationship, kidnapping & captivity.
March’s Read:
[ID: On a matching white square surrounded by colorful flowers, text reads, “March’s’ read: Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Taila Hibbert, YA romance with OCD rep, Discussion date end of March. An image of a book cover with an illustration of two Black teens in hiking gear is also attached.]
[ID: An image of a book cover with an illustration of two Black teens in hiking gear. One has an alien t-shirt and they look at each other playfully. The silhouettes of trees and birds are in the distance behind them. The title is spelled out in pink and white cursive text with a heart over the i in “unfairly”.]
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
Representation: YA romance with OCD representation based on the author’s personal experience
Discussion: End of March on Instagram
Summary:
Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He's a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.
Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption--yet, she's still not cool enough for the popular kids' table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that's how Celine sees it.)
These days, there's nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she's surprised to find Brad right beside her.
Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?
Content/trigger warnings: racism, parental abandonment, panic attacks
I haven’t read either of these books yet but I’m excited to read them with you all and hear your thoughts!