Welcome, and be ignorant!

Oh no, it's my turn!

So, Jessica did a wonderful job of introducing you to the blog yesterday. I'll no doubt go off on a tangent about something random and you'll all be like whaaa...

Anyway, you can find a brief and probably terrible description of me on the about us page. To sum my presence on this blog up, it's likely that I will be reading and reviewing a TON of fantasy books. Fantasy fiction is basically my blood. That said, I like dipping into all sorts and my first review is likely to be Saving Francesca, by Melina Marchetta. Spoiler: IT'S AWESOME. Oh, and I also look forward to using this gif whenever I can...

Anyhow, onwards!

I actually wrote a first draft for my intro post just under a year ago, which is pretty wild. (Yes, this blog has been in the works for a while). I opened it up again today, and it has completely validated one of my most steadfast beliefs because my views since then have already shifted a little.

We are all ignorant.

I think people are scared of that word. I think people are instantly put on the defensive when they hear it, and I get that. But think about it! Do you know everything about everything? Nope. And if you do, please pour me a glass of whatever it is you're drinking. Even the most intelligent, well researched people in the world will be ignorant of certain subjects.

And that's okay! As long as we are all willing to learn.

If you had approached me three or four years ago and asked me if I was a feminist, I would probably have squirmed a bit and then said no. But I wasn't all that different back then. I believed in equality, and was very much a champion of the phrases, YOU GO GIRL/GIRLS ARE THE BEST. My lack of identification as a feminist was because I was ignorant of what being a feminist actually means.

Over the past few years, my ignorance has been ground away. Now, I can stand tall and shout I AM A FEMINIST.

Now you're probably wondering why I'm harping on about ignorance when this is supposed to be a book blog, but it really all comes back to what I hope this blog can foster and nurture; discussion.

I hope that many different types of people will read this blog. Feminists, but also people that maybe don't have all that much experience with what feminism actually is. Hell, even if you hate feminism and the title of this blog makes your skin blister...as long as you're not rude (at which point you shall be ejected from cyberspace by my grumpy face) then join the discussion!

Perhaps I will claim a book is anti-feminist and you will heartily disagree. PLEASE DO. Perhaps the opposite will happen, and you will be able to change my opinion entirely.

Discussion, calm and rational, is so important to ridding ourselves of ignorance. And the discussion does not, in fact will not, simply tackle gender, but also race and sexuality. We must all fight for equality in all forms, after all. Perhaps a book blog doesn't seem like much of a warrior, but we all help in our own little ways.

We all want diverse books after all. So let's talk about it and make ourselves heard.