The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks by Sam Maggs | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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.

Sometimes I like to consider myself to be a professional fangirl. I love getting unironically excited over various things. I like not having pretense. My co-blogger Allison and I jumped at the chance to have fellow fangirl and editor for The Mary Sue Sam Maggs guest post on the blog as part of her tour for her debut book: The Fangirl’s Guide To The Galaxy. Based upon how awesome her post was, I found myself growing more and more and more excited about reading the book. You guys! This is totally a one sitting book if you have enough time for one sitting. I feel so infused with enthusiasm after reading The Fangirl’s Guide To The Galaxy.

The Fangirl’s Guide To The Galaxy by Sam Maggs is very well organized. The book starts out with an introduction about why it’s so good to be a fangirl. Then it goes into different fandoms as well as things that characterize each fandom. From there are bits about the internet, cosplay, everyday cosplay, cons, and even feminism. There is even a glossary of terms for the uninitiated, which I appreciated because even though I am a proud fangirl, I do not always know all of the terms. In addition, The Fangirl’s Guide To The Galaxy is beautifully illustrated by Kelly Baston, whose illustrations reminded me a little bit of Faith Erin Hicks which is kind of the best compliment I can give.

I loved that Sam Magg’s book was such an approachable read for both current and future fangirls. There was no sense of exclusion while reading this book – absolutely no you can’t sit with us vibes. Instead, this book made me want to become an even bigger fangirl than I already am. It made me really excited about how much I love young adult books and Harry Potter. It made me feel reinvigorated. This book got me excited about reading and blogging. Also one side effect is that I want to read all the comics and watch all of the things. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but you guys my time is so limited already. ALSO! This book does a great job promoting fellow fangirls via interviews and linkage throughout the book and also in the back.

Who Should Read:

• EVERYONE
• People who want a better understanding of feminism and fandom in a bite sized portion
• Girls who want to explore various fandoms
• Ladies looking for resources such as different websites to find merchandise related to the things they love
• First Time Con Attendees

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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