Elizabeth Hopkinson's 3 favorite reads in 2024

I had been anticipating this book for quite a while, as I was one of the people who helped crowdfund its publication. And I recorded a podcast with Sacha Coward a few months before it came out, which really whet my appetite. As soon as I started reading the introduction, it drew me in. I have a huge interest in myths, legends and folktales, and in finding Queer representation within them. I felt I was safe with Sacha, that he would be respectful and balanced in his analysis. For example, he tries to avoid pinning modern sexaul identities onto historical figures; and when discussing creatures and characters from folklore outside the Eurocentric, he uses interviews with people from that culture. His writing style is easy to read - warm, well-researched, and a good balance between academic and popular. I learned many new things, such as why it is that so many Queer people are drawn towards witchcraft or a "witchy" aesthetic, or how the "satanic panic" of the 1980s was linked to homophobia. Other matters, I was famililar with - such as the Breton werewolf tale, Bisclavret, or the drag queen origins of Ursula in Disney's Little Mermaid - but the book delved into them more deeply. And while it's true that I could have added a lot more examples of asexual representation (to the chapters on mermaids, fairies, unicorns and aliens, for example) this is a pretty compresensive text on the topic, and well worth a read.

I've always liked Joanne Harris's short fairy tales that she has posted online over the years. This book spins an original fairy tale about the ill-fated love between the Moth King and the Butterfly Queen, and intersperses it with a time-shifting urban fantasy set in London - which turns out to be the same story. As someone who lives close to the home of the Cottingley Fairies, I love the link between glass plate photography, lepidoptery and fairies. I also like the idea that, when walking in a place like London, with centuries of history overlaid, you can slip through the veil into another age, or it can slip into yours. I was fortunate enough to hear Joanne Harris speak on this book at Bradford Literature Festtival, and to have my book signed by her. It was great to hear her insights into the themes of the book, but it's equally good to form your own!

I had not read cosy fantasy before I decided to give this title a go, and I'm really glad I did. It was thoroughly enjoyable, and such an antidote to the sometimes dark nature of the real world. This book is both funny and original. I love the idea of a baking wizard, whose main skill is making gingerbread men dance, and who has a temperamental sour dough starter called Bob. The plot becomes something of a murder mystery, unravelling secrets about the city where Mona - the main character - lives. In the end, it's up to Mona to defend the city with the skills she has, as inoffensive as those skills may seem. She's going to need a bigger gingerbread man - and a lot more of Bob! I liked it so much that I have gone out and bought more cosy fantasy books. I think it's my new favourite genre.