Five fun and funny reads to escape the hectic holidays

Lish McBride is the author of funny and creepy Young Adult books such as Hold Me Closer, Necromancer; Necromancing the Stone; Firebug; and Pyromantic. At Tor.com she tagged five fun and funny reads to escape the hectic holidays, including:

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

So, while not technically fantasy, there’s an evil villain in an underground volcano lair, so I’m going to count it. Beauty Queens, at first glance, is a retelling of Lord of the Flies but with contestants from a teen beauty pageant. Except, it’s also more than that. It’s not about the girls turning on each other, but about cooperation. There’s no symbolic pig, but there is self-discovery. It’s also about an evil corporation and the pressure society puts on teens, especially girls, to be perfect. This book is smart, and it’s ridiculous in the best possible way, and it is oh-so-funny.

I love all of Libba Bray’s books, but most of them break my heart (in a good way)—this one fills me with hope.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Beauty Queens is among Lisa Williamson's top ten books about gender identity.

--Marshal Zeringue