"The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy" by Sam Maggs | Book Review

"The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy" by Sam Maggs

This book is basically a fangirl's dream. I wish it'd existed when I was younger and first getting into fandoms and geekery - it would've saved me a lot of time wading through the internet! Contained in these pages is practically everything you've ever wanted to know about all things geeky.

Now if you're a guy, you might be thinking, "Hey, how come this book is just for girls?" The answer is simple: it's not! The Fangirl's Guide is very accessible - it's not just for people who identify as girls - men can easily enjoy this. It's suited to different levels of fandom too, whether you're just starting to watch a show or you've learned Dothraki to show your Game of Thrones pride.

Sam Maggs, who you may know from The Mary Sue or (hello, my fellow Canadians!) the Cineplex pre-shows, provides tips on how and where to find info on geeky stuff in your community (geek trivia night, I've got my eyes on you!).

The book features a field guide to different fandoms, a glossary of fandom terms, interviews with REALLY cool women in the geek world (including Jane Espenson and Victoria Schwab!!), a guide to attending conventions, resources for learning about cosplay and buying fandom merch, and more.

Reading this felt like I was interacting with a friend. We as fangirls are incredibly enthusiastic about the things we love, and we're not afraid to admit it and show the love. This book reinforces the fact that it's ok to be really excited about something you're interested in!

There were so many references that I loved. There was a lot of tumblr/internet speak, which did make me cringe a couple of times, but it was mostly entertaining - and if you're not familiar with internet speak, there's a handy dandy glossary of common terms!

The Guide includes so many recommendations for shows, books, comics, and more, with awesome female characters. That's so important to me, so I'm always grateful for recommendations of this kind.

If you consider yourself a fangirl and/or a feminist, or you're interested in either subject - I recommend this book to you.

Also: I've seen people saying that "if you're a real fangirl you already know all these things". Come on, people - there are different levels of fandom, and some people are not as resourceful as others so they might not know about certain terms or websites. I certainly learned about a few new useful and awesome websites!

Check out my event recap of The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy book launch here!

The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy is now available in hardcover (see Chapters/Indigo) and as an eBook (see Kobo).

*This book was sent to me by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.