Welcome to our Fun Friday Roundup!
Welcome back to our Fun Friday Roundup, where we take a peek at the books recommended by our wonderful guests on the Fun Friday episodes of The LitJoy Podcast! We were so excited to chat more with talented author Chelsea Abdullah. Read on through this Fun Friday Roundup to learn which worlds full of magic and mayhem have stayed with Chelsea and become her favorites!
Chelsea Abdullah's Favorite Books
The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern
“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.” – Erin Morgenstern
The Night Circus Synopsis Sneak Peek
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance.
Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1)
Tamsyn Muir
“Maybe it's that I find the idea comforting...that thousands of years after you're gone...is when you really live. That your echo is louder than your voice is.” – Tamsyn Muir
Gideon the Ninth Synopsis Sneak Peek
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.
She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor #1)
Shelley Parker-Chan
“But you know what's worse than suffering? Not suffering, because you're not even alive to feel it” – Shelley Parker-Chan
She Who Became the Sun Synopsis Sneak Peek
In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…
When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is the boy who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.
A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe #1)
P. Djèlí Clark
“I don’t have sad tales to tell you. I’m not some tragic character from a story, lost between two worlds. I revel in who I am. What I am.” – P. Djèlí Clark
A Master of Djinn Synopsis Sneak Peek
Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer. So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city—or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…
Gods of Jade and Shadow
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
“Words are seeds, Casiopea. With words you embroider narratives, and the narratives breed myths, and there's power in the myth. Yes, the things you name have power.” –Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Gods of Jade and Shadow Synopsis Sneak Peek
The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.
Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.
We so loved visiting with Chelsea Abdullah for this Fun Friday and learning all about her favorite magical worlds! Do you have any faves in common with Chelsea? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to tell us if you've added any of the books on her list to your TBR!
Have you checked out our Fun Friday Book Recommendations on The LitJoy Podcast yet? With the LitJoy Podcast coming to an end, this is the last one, but they're great for when you're short on time and in need of something new to read. Kelly and Alix, along with a slew of fascinating guests, have talked everything from fantasy to romance to nonfiction books. Need details on the books they mentioned? Hop back over here, because we share roundups of all their book recommendations right here on the LitJoy Lounge!
Missed this Fun Friday interview with The Stardust Thief author Chelsea Abdullah? Want to hear more about their list of fantastical faves? Check out the full Fun Friday Podcast Episode below!
Topics Discussed
[0:29] The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
[1:04] Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
[2:01] She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
[3:06] A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
[4:14] Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Guest Bio
Chelsea Abdullah
Chelsea Abdullah is the award-winning author of The Sandsea Trilogy, an epic fantasy series that begins with The Stardust Thief. An American-Kuwaiti writer born and raised in Kuwait, she grew up listening to stories about mysterious desert creatures and wily (only sometimes likable) heroes.
Consumed by wanderlust, she has put down roots in various states. After earning her MA in English at Duquesne University, she moved to the East Coast, where she currently lives. When not immersed in her own fictional worlds, she spends her free time playing video games, doodling characters, -and hoarding books she doesn’t have the shelf space for.
Love Chelsea Abdullah's The Stardust Thief?
LitJoy and Chelsea have combined forces to bring a magical mini collection straight from the story to your hands! Take a peek below, and then head to the LitJoy Shop to take home the magic.
The Stardust Thief Drawstring Bag of Infinite Space
The Stardust Thief Literary Coin
*As a reminder, we at LitJoy care about your emotional well-being, and highly recommend checking for trigger warnings when starting any new book! We hope you'll do so for any and all of our book recommendation roundups. Your mental health comes first!
