ARC Review: The Fangirls Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs

fangirls guide to galaxy

 

Expected publication date: 12th May

Author: Sam Maggs

Publisher: Quirk Books

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way affected my review.

From Goodreads

Fanfic, cosplay, cons, books, memes, podcasts, vlogs, OTPs and RPGs and MMOs and more—it’s never been a better time to be a girl geek. The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy is the ultimate handbook for ladies living the nerdy life, a fun and feminist take on the often male-dominated world of geekdom. With delightful illustrations and an unabashed love for all the in(ternet)s and outs of geek culture, this book is packed with tips, playthroughs, and cheat codes for everything from starting an online fan community to planning a convention visit to supporting fellow female geeks in the wild.

My review

Bah, this book, it has me feeling so conflicted! It kind of felt like one of those lists “10 signs you are a girl geek” designed to make you feel oh-so-special and unique and just amazing in every way. You know the ones? So, because I am a human being, I really enjoyed reading it. I felt all the way through, “hell yeah, that is me! I am a total Potterhead/Whovian/Browncoat/Insert Other fandom Here”. That isn’t to say there weren’t really good parts to this book. So, as we are all *such fans* of these lists, here ya go! I made you a special one!

(I actually really like lists! Lists of the best books of the year, lists of why I like/dislike a book, lists of books with awesome covers featuring girls in dresses, I just hate the ego filling lists that you get all over Facebook. For an amazing blog post on this, have a look at this post by Jenna Moreci, a truly amazing writer who has first hand experience of these lists!)

Things I Liked About This Book

1. I liked the Geek Girl Feminism chapter. All of it. Especially when she says that as women, we should be supporting one another, not putting each other down to claw our way to the top of the geekery pile. Go sister!

2. I liked the interviews with the creators/writers/other geekgirl stars. Very interesting and honest.

3. I liked the packing list for conventions. I am yet to go to a convention, I am saving up to go to one next summer, but I found this useful!

4. I liked the list of comic books/ books/ TV series etc. featuring bad-ass women or written by bad-ass women, as some of them I hadn’t heard of and intend to buy.

5. The language was easy to read and approachable. I laughed out loud several times.

6. I loved the encyclopedia of useful fangirl links and places to go at the end of the book. I joined the International Geek Girl Pen Pal Club (IGGPPC) because of this list, which is one of the most amazing places for geek girls to hang out on the Internet. Also, Pen Pals! So much fun to write an actual letter!

Things I Didn’t Like About This Book.

1. The description of the fandoms. I know I am a Potterhead, you know how? Because I fangirl about Harry Potter! This section felt like a mix of one of those ego-filling lists I talked about earlier and a “How to become a geek girl because they are so cool now” book. The reason I like fangirling over things, is because I really enjoyed the TV programme/Book series/Comic Book to begin with. I didn’t start watching Doctor Who just so I could become a Whovian. The only good part of this list was the starting points for some of the comic books and TV series, as there are several series I quite fancy reading/watching and wasn’t sure where to start. But at the same time…Google. So maybe this isn’t a good enough reason.

2. The way this book was so blinking focused on the US. Hey, we have cool things going on in Europe too! And I am sure other continents were screaming the same thing. Where is our list of amazing conventions?

3. The assumption that most of towns would have a geeky meeting place such as a comic book store etc. Maybe I just live in a really backward-geek place, but I think I would have to drive and hour and a half to find my local comic book store.

Things I was neutral about.

1. Descriptions of Facebook/Twitter and how to use them. Come on, we are in 2015! Who doesn’t know what they are?

2. I felt this book could have just been a bit MORE! More detail, more fandoms, more universal. But, at the same time. I enjoyed it, so…

I am going to give this book three stars, because it was pretty funny and an enjoyable read. Also it had six things I like and only three things I didn’t like.

Threestars

I recommend it for people who want to get into more series, who want to find some great links for fangirls on the internet and younger people or people who are new to fandoms. It is good for a light read, most of it not to be taken too seriously. Apart from the feminist bit. That should definitely be taken seriously!

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Link me up below if you have!

Booky love
E. St. C
xxx

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