5.0
Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Anthology of Cozy Academia Stories
ByPublisher Description
Duck Prints Press presents 22 delightfully fluffy, happy, odd, snug, and cozy stories about queer characters pursuing academic excellence! From field research shenanigans to cooking adventures, from space station education departments to eldritch libraries, creators brought their vivid imaginings to life in these charming fantasy and science fiction stories. Settle into your favorite research carrel or prepare to read on the sly under your desk as you join us for Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Anthology of Cozy Academia Stories.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesScholarly Pursuits: A Queer Anthology of Cozy Academia Stories Reviews
5.0
“I received an ARC courtesy of Duck Print Press in exchange for an honest review.
(To be clear this is the first arc I ever requested or recieved. I did so because author May Barros shared about this press and I stumbled across this collection. I will continue to read from them because I am impressed with their entire mission and purpose.)
This is a really strong anthology that felt like the equivalent of a cup of tea on a rainy day surrounded by soft things and your closest friends. It was such a warm happy space to exist in. Also as a bonus it offers little tags at the beginning. I felt like I was reading fanfics except it was original works. Exceptional. Exactly what I wanted. In fact I am now offended all books don't offer this.
I want to give a brief sense of each story to entice you.
1. Courtship by Marginalia by Eliza J. Fitzwilliam - Similar energy to A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske but with time travel components.
2. The Case Of The Lost Grimoire by Robin S. Blackwood. Sherlock Holme meets Harry Potter but the detectives are in a queer platonic relationship. Yes I want an entire series thanks.
3. What We Call Ourselves by Lyonel Loy. Reminiscent of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell due to surviving after a war and the heavy grief of that. But also entirely unlike anything I have ever read. Haunting in a serene peaceful way.
4. Beautiful and True by Mare Griffen. Offers a little of the Last Unicorn whimsy vibes mixed with a more queer personal element.
5. Living Legends by Nicola Kapron. A lighter, different, kinder variation of Addie Larue. You have components of learning to exist through time along with a romance spanning that. And of course obviously it is queer.
6. Writ of Evocation by D.E Towry. Think first chapter from the Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi except this story is about the boy in that chapter so to speak. Nautical elements along with a library. Amazing.
7. Belonging by Sven. Kind of gave me Hands of the Emperor vibes mixed with partnered assignments remain complicated in any and all worlds.
8. Field Research by Dei Walker. Cultivation story so think NPCs in a DnD world. You're getting to explore their world. Also air bender temples (kind of) from Avatar adjacent.
9. Cat In The Library by Bettina Juszak. Studio Ghibli should use this story for one of their films, I'm just saying. It would translate so well.
10. Some Strange Alchemy by Rhosyn Goodfellow. Gives Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood vibes except remove the fake dating and add in horror elements. Make it gay too. Sold.
11. Fair Winds and Fortune by Maggie Page. This felt somehow like if Diana Wynne Jones had written a book for an older audience. I would've loved to explore this world more.
12. C8H10N4O2 by Mina Kramek. Star trek but blue uniform edition. I kind of feel like that perfectly encapsulates this one. Nailed it.
13. Life Cycles of Leaf Sprites by Zel Howland. Okay, hear me out. Tiny flying fantasy geckos (my mental image at least) and dragons along with a main character that is ultra dedicated to studying said geckos. Emily Wilde in a different font.
14. Queenright by Lee Pini. Gave Tavia Lark energy except a lot less angst. I want to go find a magic secret tunnel with my love.
15. Partnered Up by Cassia King. Think Legends and Lattes except school setting. That's the vibe. Also cool to see professors coming up and enacting studies and doing professor things.
16. Late or Never by E.V Dean. Grandma decides she is going to get her magic degree but also ghosts. We applaud it.
17. Clockwork Warmth by Jessica Mason. Reminded me of The Invention of Hugo Cabret paired with Mages and Mechanics by Devin Harnois.
18. A Curatorial Puzzle of the Heart by Robin Huntington. Kind of like if author Cat Sebastian and the show Charmed had a baby.
19. Family Meal by Shannon Lippert. Star Trek culinary experience episode served hot except it would be like a side character in the show going to cooking school since her life fell apart.
20. Historians by Indigo J.H. So take the show Haunted Hotel and translate it to a university. Also make it where only one character can see and talk to the ghosts. Make it a little more serious and a little more literary, and that's the closest comparison I can come up with.
21. Escape the Stacks by Vee Sloane. Okay this is gonna sound unhinged. But take the format of a cozy paranormal mystery with a little bit of Candy Land game vibes and this feels kind of similar. I am really not quite sure who or what to compare this too. But it was delightful.
22. Caffeine and the Unsleeping by Lucy K.R. The first similar title that pops in my head is My Roommate Is A Vampire. Except this is a coffee shop in a library and said Vampire is not enthused. But the human is cute so they awkwardly flirt their way together.
My favorites in this anthology are: What We Call Ourselves, Field Research, Life Cycles of Leaf Sprites, Clockwork Warmth, Family Meal, Escape the Stacks, and Caffeine and the Unsleeping. All of the stories engaged though on such a wide range of school type stories and I remain charmed by them.
You should read this. In fact you should read it right now. And then tell me which stories you liked best and how badly I did in my attempt to convince you to read the stories”
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