Book Recommendations and Bad Advice From Kelly Link

It’s easy to feel deeply ambivalent about social media these days, especially considering Facebook and Twitter’s obvious role in enabling a minority of White Nationalist racists to dominate one of our national parties. But at the same time, it’s important to remember that social media can also be a space for activism, outreach, and just plain human connection and goodness. Truly. So I was very charmed by this thread on Twitter in which Kelly Link—who is not only an incredible writer of slippery-genre short stories, but also a publisher and excellent literary advocate—offered and gave a few book recommendations and, just for fun, a little bad advice. I suggest reading through the whole thread, which is basically hilarious, but as a public service, here’s a rundown.

anybody need any book recommendations right now? bad advice?

— kelly link (@haszombiesinit) November 14, 2016

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Book Recommendations from Kelly Link:

Elizabeth Knox, Dreamhunter duology
Meghan W. Turner, The Queen’s Thief series
Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing
Joan Aiken, The Wolves sequence
Delia Sherman, The Evil Wizard Smallbone
Jen Banbury, Like a Hole in the Head
Jeffrey Steingarten, The Man Who Ate Everything
Helen Oyeyemi, What is Not Yours is Not Yours
Anthony Marra, The Tsar of Love & Techno
P.C. Hodgell, the God Stalker Chronicles
Andrew Michael Hurley, The Loney
Anything by Barbara Comyns
Kathryn Davis, Duplex
Laura Kinsale, Flowers from the Storm
Eva Ibbotson, A Song for Summer
Anything by Judith Ivory
Molly Gloss, The Hearts of Horses
Samantha Hunt, Mr. Splitfoot

(Selected) Bad Advice from Kelly Link:
(on what to buy) “I’m partial to Urban Decay’s vintage blue lipsticks, but their Kat Von D greens & blacks are also nice.”
(“something about what if my house is haunted”) “First, buy a ouija board.”
(on workplace attire) “sack and ashcloth”
(on writing) “try setting v. short time limits—bursts of 5 to 15 minuts (actual advice)”
“Now is the time to adopt 7 or 8 new kittens.”
“Write an erotic novel about the epic romance of a sea creature and a lost shoe.”
“Invest in beekeeping gear & start some hives. Feed bees on blue M&Ms.”
“Take up ice fishing.”
“Comic sans is best choice for resume.”