Okay, I am late. Like really really really late with Fae Friday. I’m so sorry, but life has been incredibly exhausting right now. But today in the fae realm is all about faeries hating to be thanked. That is why the prompt this week is:
Do you read the acknowledgment section in the books you’re reading, and why?
I never used to read the acknowledgment sections, but now I tend to skim them. It’s cool to see all of the people that went into making that book, but sometimes I want to get to the next book. I will say, I do read the acknowledgment section for authors that I personally know because it’s always fun to recognize names. I will admit, it’s also pretty cool to see groups you’re a part of mentioned.
So now that you know my answer, prompt goes here?
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The Thanks taboo is a neat part of faerie lore, and I love seeing how Seanan McGuire plays with it in the Toby series. Like, even within the faerie community, people sometimes forget (usually if they’re part human or spent a lot of time around humans), and have to correct themselves midway. Like, “Tha…t’s generous of you.”
As for acknowledgments, I do also tend to skim them, especially if I really loved a book. I want to know more about the author’s sources and inspirations. And sometimes there are fun insights — like the music McGuire listens to while writing the Toby books, or that Jean Auel took certain very specific liberties with history for the sake of the story (i.e. it was the Neanderthals who first put flowers on graves, not a Cro Magnon girl).
I really need to read Seanan McGuire! She is has been on my TBR for a while now but I haven’t found the time to read her! I really need to take the time and just pick up one of her books.
I’ll warn you, there’s a bit of a learning curve for both the protagonist and the writing style. The first few are totally fun and the world-building is amazing, but the protagonist makes some dangerously head-scratchy decisions in the name of Solving the Case, and there’s a lot of repetition and Captain Obvious commentary.
They do get way better, though, and I definitely recommend starting with Rosemary and Rue to get your bearings in this universe.
That is definitely good to know going in! Thank you!
Better late than never! It totally makes sense to skim through, and I always love to see what the writers have to say about who influenced and supported their process 💕