Gender Queer

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe (2019) 240 pages

Jan reviewed this previously.

I loved the art and story of this graphic memoir. The world cannot be simplified down to a binary understanding. The author shares intimate details about eir body and gets deep into eir psyche figuring out eir self-identity. It is a heartfelt journey about a specific person's identity. It is a wonderful guide to pronouns and the wide array of human gender identity, if you are open to learn. This is one of the titles often targeted in recent book bans around the country. Book bans, in my mind, are about conformity and avoiding topics that are, in truth, key to understanding the full diversity of the human experience. I hope people keep reading this book. Maia's family loves er, yet still makes mistakes in mis-gendering er. Society has a long way to go in not assuming a gender, forcing a gender presentation, or threatening humans who do not fit in their binary understanding.
 

Boyfriend Material

 Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (2020, 432 pages)

The estranged son of a washed up rock star is setup with a successful attorney in a fake-dating scenario to benefit both of their professional lives. They both have important work functions coming up, and figure they would look better with an attractive man on their arm.

Of course, they end up actually falling for each other. But also of course, they don't communicate it very well. Lots of back and forth and (in my opinion, excessive) drama.

The whole thing was pretty silly, mostly in a funny way. The one liners were cute, friends were quirky, etc. Bonus points for queer representation, but I am not personally a fan of miscommunication plot lines.

★★★☆☆

Honey Girl

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers, 293 pages

Grace Porter is 28 years old and has just received her doctorate in astronomy. For the past 11 years, she's been working hard for this degree, and is ready to enter the world of non-stop research and publishing. Except that her first interview goes disastrously and her graduation celebration trip to Las Vegas lands her with the last thing she was planning on: a wife whose name she doesn't remember. No matter what she does, Grace is losing control of her carefully planned life, and is also coming apart at the seams. 

For a book that starts with a very fictional premise (how many bad movies start with a drunken Las Vegas wedding?), it handles the complexities of mental health and big life changes very well. There were a few things that didn't entirely make sense to me (like the whole idea of holding sacred vows that you can't remember making to someone you'd never met before; why not just annul?), but on the whole, I enjoyed reading this book. Sometimes it was a bit too real, particularly regarding Grace's anxiety and lack of family communication, but that's just something I'll have to deal with in my own therapy sessions. I'm looking forward to seeing what Rogers comes up with next.

A Pale Light in the Black

A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers, 421 pages

OK, I read this back in May of 2020 (which seems like a lot longer ago than it actually is), and re-reading my review of the book then, I can't say that my opinion has changed. I still love it, and I can't wait to chat with the Orcs & Aliens about this tonight! Also, I really need to get around to reading the second book in this series.

Summer Sons

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo, 352 pages

It's the end of summer, and Andrew Blur is moving to Nashville for graduate school at Vanderbilt. While he'd been looking forward to this for ages, it's with a lot of emotional baggage that he makes the journey now — his best friend and adopted brother, Eddie Fulton, had already been at Vanderbilt for a semester, getting ready for Andrew to join him, when he inexplicably committed suicide just weeks before the fall semester was to begin. Andrew is sure that Eddie wouldn't kill himself, and it's with that in mind that he makes the move — yeah, he'll go to school, but his main goal is to prove that Eddie was murdered. However, Eddie and Andrew had a deeper connection, dating back to a horrific incident when they were 13 that tightened their bond and gave them both the ability to see revenants of dead people. When Eddie's revenant attaches to Andrew, Andrew's mission gets even harder, as Eddie's ghost is certainly an angry one.

This is a great horror novel with plenty of spooky situations, yes, but it's also an amazing look at the grieving process, self-realization, and learning to let go. I was thrown a bit at the beginning by Andrew's copious alcohol consumption and drug use, but as I continued to read, I realized how right it was for Andrew's character. I ended up really enjoying this book, and I highly recommend it to fans of horror.

*This book will be published Sept. 28, 2021.

How to Find a Princess

How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole, 367 pages

Makeda Hicks has spent her life helping other, and putting their wants and needs ahead of her own, so you'd think that when her grandmother tells her she's a princess from the tiny island nation of Ibarania, she'd be excited to claim that crown. Unfortunately, that same claim by her grandmother (as it was her grandmother who had a wild fling with an Ibaranian prince) is what drove Makeda's mother to a level of obsession that ruined their relationship and Makeda's self-esteem. And while Makeda would love to do what she can to make her grandmother happy, the appearance of sexy Ibaranian investigator Beznaria, who is hunting down possible heirs to the throne, only makes Makeda more resistant. But when her grandmother's business is threatened, Makeda reluctantly agrees to travel to Ibarania with Bez.

While Cole's last royalty-themed romance was a bit of a dud for me, this one is a welcome return to form. Makeda and Bez have great chemistry and wonderfully developed personalities — complete with a boatload of flaws and some good character growth. This book is also full of some of my favorite romance tropes: enemies-to-lovers, one-bed-in-the-room, fake marriage, and yes, the whole princess thing (though that one's turned on its head here). A fun read.

The Guncle

The Guncle by Steven Rowley, 326 pages

Former TV star Patrick O'Hara disappeared from Hollywood after his hit sitcom ended, moving to a home out in Palm Springs and rarely leaving. But when his longtime best friend and sister-in-law Sara dies after a long illness, Patrick reluctantly takes in his young niece and nephew for the summer (their father handled their mother's illness somewhat worse than they did, becoming addicted to pills, and spends the summer in rehab). While Patrick's not sure that he's up to the challenge of caring for his niblings (he's grieving himself, not just for Sara, but also for Joe, a serious boyfriend who died years earlier), he agrees to give it a shot. Imagine his surprise when too-smart Maisie and lisping Grant turn out to be just the delightful distraction he needs.

This is a fantastically funny, heartwarming, emotional, and accepting novel. I absolutely loved everything about it, from Patrick's "Guncle Rules" to Grant's obsession with the fancy toilet at Patrick's house to the wonderfully written family tension with Patrick's siblings. Highly recommended for all readers.

The Hellion's Waltz

The Hellion's Waltz by Olivia Waite, 258 pages

Last year, the Roseingrave family's reputation and finances were dragged through the mud by a swindler who took advantage of Mr. Roseingrave's piano-building prowess and eldest daughter Sophie's talents at the piano. Fleeing London, they've now settled in Carrisford, where they hope to rebuild in an upstanding town. But when Sophie meets beguiling silk weaver Maddie Crewe, she's convinced that Maddie is up to something untoward. As it happens, she is. Maddie and the other weavers of Carrisford are determined to run their own con on an unscrupulous businessman who is driving them into the poorhouse. However, Sophie's meddling — and Maddie's burgeoning feelings for her — may stand in the way of both the Roseingrave family's rebuilding and Maddie's swindle.

This is a sweet love story between the two young women, and one that, refreshingly, doesn't have an element of disapproval or shame from Sophie's family, and only the barest hint from society at large. While that makes the story particularly sweet, it also takes it a bit out of the historical context. An enjoyable, if not particularly substantive, historical romance.

One Last Stop

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, 422 pages

New Orleans native August Landry is brand new to Brooklyn, not quite sure if she's going to finally find a place that works for her after striking out at various cities and colleges across the country. Once she finds a quirky set of roommates though, they quickly adopt her, despite her best attempts to stay aloof. Then there's a girl that August met on the Q line one morning, and she always seems to be there, no matter the time of day, and August has never seen her get off the subway. The girl, Jane, is a mystery to August, but one so beguiling that August can't help but be pulled in — and she hopes Jane's as attracted to her as she is to Jane.

Anyone who's read McQuiston's debut novel Red, White, and Royal Blue knows that she can write a steamy and emotionally gripping romance. While this book has those, it also allows her to branch out into science fiction and personal growth elements, both of which are woven in wonderfully. I love the celebration of queer culture and drag, and I always love a good found family. This is an enchanting novel and I totally get why there's a sizeable hold list. You should get on it too, if you're not already.