Maude’s Book Club
Maude’s Book Club
The 10 Best Women Authors of Fantasy and Sci-Fi
For Women’s History Month, we wanted to highlight the best authors in the Fantasy and Sci-Fi genre! If you’ve been with Maude’s Book Club for a while, you know who our go-to authors are and we added them to this list.
The women listed below have broken barriers in the Sci-Fi genre and cemented themselves in Fantasy as well. They have all created incredible worlds for readers to get lost in and have become popular over time. Whether they have one trilogy under their belt or more, their writing has introduced readers to new perspectives and brilliant female characters.
Hot Off The Shelf: March 2024 New Releases
Oh, hi March!
We are three months into 2024 and so great books have been released. Some months are slower than others with releases, but there can also be some surprises. MBC will be looking for the next big Fantasy or Science Fiction novel that will have readers buzzing.
From Romance to Thrillers to Fantasy, March has some highly-rated new releases that should be immediately added to your TBR!
Bonus Book of the Month: ‘The Bite’ by Z.W. Taylor
We can’t wait to sink our teeth into the BONUS BOOK of the month!
Z.W. Taylor is a fun upcoming author to keep an eye on as The Moon Blood Saga has slowly made its way through #BookTok. After the supernatural craze of vampires and werewolves, it seemed those books started to fade. But now, more than ever, the nostalgia of finding books that have those elements are needed.
Book of the Month Preview: ‘The Poppy War’ by R.F. Kuang
Our book choice for March is The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. This has been on everyone’s TBR in MBC for quite some time. And we are all excited to start reading the series. The novel was a nominee for Best Fantasy in 2017 and R.F. Kuang was nominated for Best Debut Author.
If You Like ‘Dune’ Add These To Your TBR
Let the spice flow!
Frank Herbert’s Dune has been a series loved by many. The universe is extensive and has plenty of lore to make fans happy. The film adaptations have been received extremely well by general audiences and they have even picked up the book after watching.
Check out the five books we recommend after reading ‘Dune.’
If You Like ‘Network Effect’ Add These To Your TBR
The MBC community enjoyed reading the next instalment in the Murderbot Series and will continue with the series as bonus books in the future. We love having discussions in our discord, and we have multiple channels for authors and books.
Book Review: ‘Divine Rivals’ by Rebecca Ross
If you’re a fan of historical fiction and Romantasy, Divine Rivals is the perfect mixture of both. Rebecca Ross crafts a young adult novel filled with yearning and stolen words on a page between a fantastical typewriter. Not only is it an intimate love story between Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, but there’s a war among the gods, Dacre and Enva.
Convincing You to Read ‘Dune’ By Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert’s Dune series is extensive, and it’s a difficult series to get into. Most people read Dune and Dune Messiah because it works as a duology. But, if you want to know more about the characters and the world, Herbert covered all his bases.
If You Like ‘Divine Rivals’ Add These To Your TBR
February is dedicated to all lovers out there, and we have chosen Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross for our book of the month! After the buzz of Fourth Wing, Rebecca Ross was next in line with her young adult romance that had #BookTok all over it. Whether you read Fourth Wing or Divine Rivals first, they are great follow-ups.
The difference with Divine Rivals is that it has a more sentimental story and it is rich in magic. Some creatures and gods live in this world with Iris Winnow, but the human story of grief and perseverance connects readers to this character. If you’re a yearner and a fan of secret letters, this book will be for you.
If you’re not a fan of historical fiction, Divine Rivals will pave the way for a fusion of fantasy and mythological history.
Convincing You to Read Books by Martha Wells
If you have Goodreads and follow Maude Garrett, Amanda Tass, or Amanda Guarragi (me), you know that we have been diving into books by Martha Wells. And if you don’t follow us on there, come on over! Maude has been obsessed with The Murderbot Diaries ever since she read them with the MBC crew.
Amanda Tass has read All Systems Red and gave it FIVE STARS. While we’ve been gearing up to read Network Effect for our BONUS BOOK in February, I have listened to all the audiobooks and have started Network Effect!
It’s hard not to love our favourite SecUnit, but Martha Wells has other series in her bookography that have new worlds to discover.
The 10 Best Romance Novels by Black Authors
The books listed below are all highly rated on Goodreads and have been recommended by many. There are queer stories represented, and the focus is on Black love. These authors have written beautiful stories that will pull on your heartstrings and bring you onto another plain of love.
The 10 Best Book Girlfriends
Female authors know how to write love stories and know how to write a swoon-worthy leading woman. Sometimes, especially in Romantasy novels, the female lead is the one all readers want to be like and maybe even find to be their ideal partner.
The women listed below have the most well-rounded arcs in their designated series. They all carry themselves with grace, fearlessness and empathy. No matter which female lead you identify with or seek qualities in a girlfriend, the characters listed below have been staples in Fantasy and Romance novels.
Join Maude’s Book Club!
We know that the internet can be a tough space to navigate and that’s why we want to create a safe space for everyone in the reading community to be able to discuss their favourite books with other bookworms.
Not only do community members interact with other book lovers and creator Maude Garrett, but Maude connects with the authors of the books directly so the community can also discuss the book with their favoruite authors.
