Crosstalk (by Connie Willis)

I tagged this "give-up" because I definitely would have given up on this book had it not been for the RHC category "a genre-blending book."  But so many of the other suggestions I'd looked at were a blend of fantasy and something, and I don't really love fantasy, so I stuck with it.

First off, Crosstalk is a blend of romcom (really, romantic farce) and speculative fiction.  The premise is that a woman named Briddey agrees to get a new procedure to get emotional closeness to her boyfriend - and it accidentally connects her to someone else. She has a really intrusive family with absolutely no boundaries (they call her constantly and show up at her work and at her house) and she seems really stupid at the outset - her boyfriend is obviously a douche (he's even named Trent, for god's sake) but also she doesn't even really seem to like him all that much? Why is she getting brain surgery!?

Between her family bombarding her and the results of the brain surgery, she's constantly feeling massive anxiety and the pace of the book is frenetic and it gave me secondhand anxiety to read.  I also think her sister, a massively neurotic helicopter mom, is supposed to be a funny character but honestly she came off as so awful and abusive to her child, it wasn't fun to read.  

Once Briddey finally started to figure out stuff that had been obvious to the reader for like THE ENTIRE BOOK, it got less annoying (happened at around the 70% mark, so, not ideal) and the ending was definitely better than the beginning. The romance was semi-problematic but whatever, it was cute.  I didn't hate it the whole way through, but I didn't totally enjoy it either. At least another category is checked off - only 5 more to go. 

Birthday Retreat Books

I spent a week taking the sea air on the Mendocino coast, and while there, finished four books!

The Making of Pride & Prejudice (by Sue Birtwistle & Susie Conklin)  

This was a gift from a few years ago and part of my quest to read through some of my physical books this year. The photos are a bit blurry and I would have enjoyed clearer photos, more interviews with the cast, basically a book ten times the size of this relatively slim volume. It definitely made me appreciate a lot of nuances that went into making the miniseries (this is about the BBC miniseries with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth), from custom-printing fabrics on muslin to hiding lighting equipment with foliage in a ballroom. A must-read for 1995 devotees, but you'll definitely wish it were longer!

Headshot (by Rita Bullwinkel)  

Tournament of Books selection and I'm gonna be honest, I hated it. The repetitive style (which is I'm sure deliberate, because this is about boxing and it makes you feel like being punched with names repeated over and over and over again...) drove me mad. I enjoyed the flash forwards but they added up to nothing I was wholly uninterested in the winner, as the only characters I really enjoyed weren't in the final. I also hate boxing. I also found it implausible that none of the 8 girls were explicitly non-white, and race wasn't even mentioned. So either they were all white, or race never impacted their lives. Did not work for me. 

The Wedding People (by Alison Espach) 

Also in the ToB, but it was very "beach read" with romcom vibes and a predictable plot. That said, I immediately loved our main character Phoebe (who shows up at a hotel that has been rented out for a wedding, and gets drawn into the lives of the wedding people) and the fun cast of characters. I could see where this was going a mile off but I stayed up late to finish it anyway because it was delightful. Will make a perfect movie.  

Mansfield Park (by Jane Austen) 

I can't remember the last time I read Mansfield Park from cover to cover, so I'll include it here! It's been decades, probably. I enjoyed it so much this time around - I'm very familiar with the 1999 film and it actually takes fewer liberties than I thought it did! (The scene of Mary undressing Fanny in the rain, for one.) Jane Austen is always a joy.

Alaska Books

I spent a week in a cabin in Alaska; due to weather and flight delays, I also spent a whole lot of time holed up in the cabin and in airports and on planes. As a result, I finished a whopping nine books, so this might be a long post! This covers many of my favorite genres: litfic, young adult, speculative fiction, and Japanese mystery.

Asking for a Friend (by Kara H. L. Chen)

Cute YA about Taiwanese-American kids with complicated families who enter a business competition. In fact, the first of two books on this list about second-generation Asian kids! I enjoyed the depiction of Taiwanese culture and as a second-generation kid of immigrants (though not Asian immigrants) a lot of relatability in this one. Cute but not amazing.

Inspector Imanishi Investigates (by Seicho Matsumoto) 

I believe this was a new author for me that I got from a recommendation on Reddit.  Slow-paced, lots of minutia which I normally love, but but not enough balance in the other direction, and not enough excitement in the mystery. It's like "here is every detail about a very slow paced investigation, and the killer is the exact person you most medium suspect, and you'll discover that very slowly." Not a must.

True Love and Other Impossible Odds (by Christina Li) 

This was the one that made me cry.  It has lot in common with the first book on this list, as it also deals with the pressure of being the child of Asian immigrants. Bu it's a little more mature (the characters are college freshman), the romance is a Sapphic one (always a plus), and in general it was more affecting (I cried). Of all the YA books (or early adult in this case) on this list, this was by far my favorite.

James (by Percival Everett) 

I've been meaning to read this one since the summer, as it was selected for Camp ToB and is by one of my favorite authors. It's a high concept novel (a loose retelling of Huck Finn from Jim's perspective) and it's by Percival Everett, so of course it's a masterpiece. This will definitely make my end of year best books list and probably be in the 2025 tournament.  It's wonderful.

In the Orbit of You (by Ashley Schumacher) 

Another YA, with good chemistry and a nicely complex love story but an unsatisfying ending that didn't quite ring true. As an aside, I knew the Goodreads crowd would dislike this one because they get very mad when anyone is emotionally (or god forbid physically) cheating in a YA novel, but I cannot be the only teenager with the messiest love life. (A sample of my high school days: I cheated on my first boyfriend by kissing a hot guitar player at a party, he responded by bringing me flowers and forgiving me, which didn't make sense until I catfished him for fun only to discover he'd been having sex with his male best friend for years. We stayed together until I successfully convinced him he was gay. We've been best friends for over 30 years. That's high school for you!)  

Margo Has Money Troubles (by Rufi Thorpe)

I decided based on reading her ToB judgment last year that I had to read something by Rufi Thorpe and indeed, this novel is exactly as smart, fresh, quirky and funny as I expected. 

The Half-Life of Love (by Brianna Bourne) 

This was both speculative fiction and YA; the concept is that you get a twinge when your life is halfway over.  A lot of suspension of disbelief was required because they are scientifically investigating it as if it's some chemical thing but also apparently you're immortal before this happens? Like, what happens if you blow your brains out with a pistol? But it's a love story between a researcher who lost her baby sister and a teenage boy who's about to die.  I didn't love how the ending played out (not in terms of what happens, but in terms of how Finch doesn't get agency over his planned death) but it was an interesting high concept, and I liked September as a character and just generally pondering how we live our lives and what's important. Also I was on a bucket list trip (to see the Northern Lights) so led to some interesting contemplation about the purposes of a bucket list and why this trip was important to me.

True Letters from a Fictional Life (by Kenneth Logan)

I wasn't sure if the characters fell flat for me because I was tired from travel at this point, but my thoughts were echoed on Goodreads and the more I thought about it, the more flat it fell. It's about a sporty kid who's figuring out he's gay but I had a lot of problems with it: there's a lot of homophobic and transphobic stuff that is never challenged or addressed. It doesn't feel like in 21st century Vermont of all places there would be this many people using the f-slur, punching gay kids, assuming gay people are pedophiles, or panicking about gay people getting AIDS. Like the widespread regressive attitudes don't ring true. The romance is absolutely tepid. And I couldn't really visualize any of the characters so they all fell flat. A big miss for me.

Salvation of a Saint (by by Keigo Higashino) 

Last but not least, from the author of The Devotion of Suspect X, another Howdunit.  There was one part of the Howdunit that I figured out very early on; the other part was ingenious and I didn't. I loved the character of the female junior detective.  I loved the entire plotline and the unraveling of the mystery. Goes into my top tier of Japanese mysteries for sure, and a great note to end my vacation reading marathon on!

The Pairing (by Casey McQuiston)

This is the book equivalent of the TV show Smash: not objectively good, but very entertaining to hate-read. My favorite part was actually reading the 1- and 2-star reviews on Goodreads afterwards to help nail down all the things I hated, and here are some choice quotes that add up to a review:

It just came across as two obnoxious Americans being obnoxious on a European food and wine tour.

Theo is a nepo-baby who just can't stand the privilege afforded to them by having rich, famous parents. Kit is a French-born, half-American pastry chef who seems to assume he knows what others are thinking instead of asking. Neither of them knows how to communicate.

All [Kit] did was endlessly wax poetic about cream or a painting of a leaf, or go on and on about how amazing Theo is right after we've had 200 pages of evidence that Theo is not in fact amazing. Do you know how dire it has to be for me to dislike a fruity, hopeless romantic poet man? Very, very dire.  

If they had just talked about their feelings once, the book would have been 75% shorter. 

Theo feels like the perfect character to have a lot of growth throughout the book because of how insufferable they are, but when they reach their peak shittiness the pov just switches to Kit for the rest of the book.

We also get to know relatively early that they’re still in love with each other, which sets the stakes in the book so low it makes you indifferent to everything they’re doing. Of course, they decide that the only way to deal with their mutual pining is to make a sex bet instead of, I don’t know, talking to each other.

Most of [the side characters] were reduced to sexy stereotypes for the main characters to bang. Maybe I want to know what Santiago the chocolatero is like as a person and not what it's like to lick his ass crack, but hey, that's just me. 

Yes, they are sexually compatible, but it seems like they are also sexually compatible with half of Europe... It feels like a book that Gwyneth Paltrow would write if she was nonbinary and taking a food tour across Europe. 

Way too many French people

 

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You (by Ann Liang)

Another cute YA, although the premise of this one (Sadie's hate mails that she saves in email drafts accidentally get sent) is ridiculous. Nobody as careful as Sadie would write email drafts with the person's name in the "To:" field, it is absolutely so dumb. And how they get sent out makes no sense.

I stuck with it because I enjoyed Sadie (an extreme people-pleaser and high achiever) and was excited to see her growth over the course of the novel - and that was great, as was the chemistry with the love interest. They had cute banter but actually did hate each other so it's a good enemies-to-lovers slow burn. I never did get fully past the premise though!

Act Your Age, Eve Brown (by Talia Hibbert)

Read for the category "a genre book (SFF, horror, mystery, romance) by a disabled author."  Hibbert has fibromyalgia. Also this is an #OwnVoices book for autism, as Hibbert is queer and autistic. 

I'm not a huge romance reader but I did enjoy this one, the third in Hibbert's series about the Brown sisters.  The immature Eve Brown is cut off from her trust fund by her parents and decides to go get a job, hits her interviewer with her car, and somehow is still hired? And they have instant chemistry, great communication, and frankly some really contrived conflict before living happily ever after.

If you're a fan of contemporary romance, it is cute and I recommend it.

Romantic Comedy (by Curtis Sittenfeld)

A creatively structured, above-average twist on the romcom genre. The main character is a writer for an extremely thinly veiled version of Saturday Night Live; the first third of the book goes through a week on the show in which she gets to know the host and musical guest, and they hit it off, only to end on a sour note of misunderstanding.

We pick up again in the midst of Covid lockdown, when the two characters become email pen pals and friends. She eventually drives out to visit him, they connect in person, complications ensue, yadda yadda yadda. 

The SNL stuff was fun (I too have read all the SNL memoirs in the world) and I enjoyed the epistolary secton, although the main character really seemed to lack growth and got a bit grating by the end. A fast read, for SNL and romcom fans who don't mind a whole lot of Covid flashbacks (also not my favorite).

A Pair of YAs

Finished a couple of YAs so figured I may as well "feed two birds with one scone" as I read today in a listicle about moving away from violent metaphors.

The Borrow a Boyfriend Club (by Page Powars) 

This is about a trans teen named Noah who wants to join the "Borrow a Boyfriend Club" at his school to prove he's a boy. It's very joyful and accepting, and the romance is very cute. The only issue for me is that Asher (the love interest) is kind of too much of an asshole and wasn't very likeable. He's supposed to be like the jerk with the heart of gold but it was very difficult to see why people would even put up with him or why he was popular. Ah well.

Her Good Side (by Rebekah Weatherspoon) 

Definitely recommend this one; it's about a plus-sized Black girl and a shy, tall Asian guy who fake date because of Reasons and of course this leads to real feelings can you believe it? The ending is a bit abrupt but the book overall is adorable and the leads are absolutely delightful. I loved the authenticity with which Bethany is written and her two high-powered WNBA moms and her passion for cooking and her realistic self-confidence... all wonderful. Extremely cute YA.

Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh (by Rachael Lippincott)

Started and abandoned a couple of similar books before delving into the latest Rachael Lippincott. I've enjoyed her work before! Warning about this one - it is not a retelling of Pride & Prejudice, unfortunately. The name is just a reference to the fact that our character goes back in time to the regency period, there is no Mr. (or Ms.) Darcy, just a Sapphic romance across time.

You have to suspend a lot of disbelief here, not just for obvious reasons but because the Regency section is full of anachronisms and people behaving the way no normal person would behave. But what saved this was the slow build of tension and the sweetness of the central romance.  Like we practically got a scene of the heroine whisking her lover away on a white horse at the end, but whatever! It was cute!

So keep your expectations not too high and it may work for you, as it did for me. 

Books Read While Melting

Another set of books finished on a trip - this time a work trip to Austin during a week when the temperatures were in the 100-110 range. Thus, the melting.  Although I read many of these on airplanes and in cool hotel rooms, as always.

Sorry, Bro (by Taleen Voskuni) 

This book is a debut by an Armenian-American author. I loved the Armenian proverbs that began each chapter and were woven throughout the text.  The writing was subtly funny and there was great chemistry between the leads. Great cast of characters and amazing main character. I kept letting this one expire because the title put me off, but I'm glad I kept putting it back on my library list so I could finally get to it!

The Appeal (by Janice Hallett) 

A really fun epistolary mystery, and such a page-turner. Clever, funny, super satisfying and entertaining. If you're a fan of Agatha Christie-style mysteries, you have to read this one.

The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era (by Gareth Russell) 

One of the RHC categories this year is once again "Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat!" and I've been working on the 2015 challenges, since I started the RHC in 2016 so I missed that year completely. If I don't do any double counting, I've completed 14 categories from that challenge, but this is the one that is the most unique so this is the one I think I'll count for 2023.  A microhistory zooms in on a small event in history and connects it to a broader context, which this fits perfectly. It was also really fascinating, although very focused on the aristocracy.  (It all made sense when the author gave a shoutout to his friend Emerald Fennell at the end - he's clearly from that class himself.) Still, fascinating!

Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency (by Chen Chen)

As with most poetry collections, uneven with moments of transcendence. Read for the category "book of poetry by a BIPOC or queer author" (Chen is both).  He includes a memorial poem to Justin Chin, a poet who I met at his reading with Beth Lisick decades ago that was part of the reason I moved to the San Francisco area to study poetry.  I had no idea Chin had died in the interim; I still have his signed book somewhere. But at any rate, I liked this fine.

If Tomorrow Doesn't Come (by Jen St. Jude)

The Sapphic spiritual successor to The Fault in Our Stars. A tearjerker that reads like a YA but allows the characters to just be in college already.  Reminded me also a bit of Last Night (the Canadian film starring Sandrah Oh) with its apocalyptic setting.  Also recommended! Hey, I enjoyed most of these books! Love when I get a good run like this.

What I Read On My Summer Vacation

Spoiler alert: it was 17 books, so buckle up. I'll include the tags in the little blurbs below so you don't have to wade through the one zillion tags I'm about to slap on this bad boy.

The Unstoppable Bridget Bloom (by Allison L. Bitz) young adult, romcom

Loved the character growth and focus more on being a better person than the romance elements. Felt organic, theater kids are the worst and the best. I loved how everyone was casually bisexual, with sexuality not even mentioned. Very Big Reveal-esque in its boarding school setting. One of my favorite of these 17 reads.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute (by Talia Hibbert) young adult, romcom

Super great chemistry, rich characters and ADORABLE. My only two critiques: Katharine Breakspeare is a dumb/fake name, and this random dude Nick showed up as a winner at the end when it could have been any of a handful of other characters we actually knew.) But loved this read and hope Hibbert writes more YA!

Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears (by Michael Schulman) nonfiction

Juicy and detailed, got more interesting (for me) as it moved into Oscars I remember watching. I'm a faithful Oscar viewer still ,although I don't make the effort to watch all the nominees that I used to. Ends kind of abruptly but look forward to an expanded edition in five or 10 years!

The Helpline by Katherine Collette women's contemporary, litficL

Like a lighter Eleanor Olifant which is always an absolute delight. I love reading about rigid, literal characters who find happiness with a ragtag group of people who don't give up on them. Germaine is so loveable! Definitely worth reading if you enjoyed Eleanor.

Darkhearts (by James L. Sutter) young adult

I'm a sucker for "turns out I'm gay for YOU" stories but this had a couple of issues.  The best friend was clearly a girl written by a dude (she was unrealistically crude, and in general the book was fairly crude with a lot of poop humor when I would prefer zero poop humor). The character development for our MC (who needed a LOT of it) was too abrupt and the ending really didn't work. But did I keep reading until the end? You bet I did.

The Smitten Kitchen (by Deb Perlman) nonfiction, rhc 2023, cookbook if I had a cookbook tag which I don't because why would I ever do this to myself again

The only reason I read this was for the Read Harder category "read a cookbook from cover to cover" and I kind of hated this challenge. I don't really cook, reading lists of ingredients is boring, and even though her writing is very good, she uses the word "dollop" 38 times, which is probably fine if you're dipping in and out of the cookbook like a normal person but got annoying for me. Just felt very pointless. I always love her recipes though!

Evelina (by Fanny Burney) classics, rhc 2023

The category was "read one of your favorite author's favorite books" and since part of my vacation was a Jane Austen pilgrimage, I decided to read one of Austen's favorites. It was actually a page turner, with some very horrible characters that are overly mean to our poor heroine, but I was glad in the third volume when that subsided and the plot got exciting. Reading about the London season and imagining all the ways Burney influenced Austen made this really fun to read. As opposed to the cookbook thing, I was really glad this challenge was on the list.

Check, Please! (by Ngozi Ukazu) comic, graphic novel, rhc 2023

For the category "read a completed webcomic." This is a webcomic about a college hockey player, with a very sweet grumpy-sunshine romance. Kind of missing conflict and comics will never be my favorite, but quite adorable and joyful. 

Cupid Calling (by Viano Oniomoh) romance, rhc 2023, world literature

Category is: "read an independently published book by a BIPOC author." This is a self-published M/M romance about two contestants on a Bachelorette-like show who meet and fall for each other in a slow-burn romance.  It's very high-quality considering it's self-published, would not have guessed that. Loved the characters, who are both British-Nigerian and have different, complex relationships with their cultures. Definitely includes some fanfic-like sex scenes at the end that are very explicit. But they were well done and fit the characters, so it was fine. My only quibble is that it's supposed to be a reality show made by an Ava Duverney type director but it's got the same format as basically every dating reality show, so talking about how this would be "different" kind of fell flat.

The Aosawa Murders (by Riku Onda) mystery, world literature, translated

This one is all about the atmosphere! Really enjoyed the structure of multiple points of view, and the mood overall.  And the ambiguity - except that it was a shade too ambiguous! I would have liked a little more (though not perfect) resolution at the end. Still, it's eerie and gothic in a specifically Japanese way and I enjoyed it a lot.

Northanger Abbey (by Jane Austen) classic, reread, on paper

I hadn't read Northanger Abbey since I was a teenager, so when I found an adorable pocket copy at the Jane Austen House, I had to get it! really loved having my solo meals in England while accompanied by some chapters from this delightful Austen novel. Oh, and I had apparently forgotten like 80% of the plot because I haven't seen any adaptations either! I'm clearly falling down on the job.

It Goes Like This (by Miel Moreland) young adult

About a fictional "girl band" called Moonlight Overthrow that has broken up and gets back together for a reunion show. Very well written, liked the complexity of the ending, but I did think that everyone treated Eva extremely poorly and did not do enough penance at the end of the book to make their rapprochement satisfying. Gina in particular was underdeveloped, which is especially unfortunate since she is the one Black character. Enjoyable, not amazing. And I strongly suspect this is a gender-swapped rewrite of some former One Direction fanfic.

Plus One (by Kelsey Rodkey) young adult, romcom

Has a main character that somehow gets less and less sympathetic as the book goes along, culminating in so much awfulness that I almost couldn't really get back on her side anymore by the end.  All very well written and I love a confidently plus-size main character. The supporting cast was absolutely fabulous. But oof, once again not enough penance at the end, and that makes it especially hard when it's the character you're supposed to be rooting for. 

Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl (by Brianna R. Shrum and Sara Waxelbaum) young adult, romcom

Love the concept and the characters (which gave me Amelia Westlake vibes, one of my favorite sapphic ya romcoms ever) but the viewpoints of the two point of view characters were both not differentiated enough in the writing style (surprisingly, since there were two authors) and not cohesive enough in the characterization (Margo's character in particular.) Disappointing execution, ultimately.

A Line to Kill (by Anthony Horowitz) mystery, series

This is the third book in the Hawthorne series, which starts with The Sentence Is Death. I saw an ad for the fourth installment in the Tube and realized I had missed #3 so checked them both out! This was really good as always, I love Horowitz's metafictional and self deprecating take on Sherlock and Watson and it was a really good mystery. 

Going Bicoastal (by Dahlia Adler) young adult, romcom

One that I saved for the plane because I knew it would be good! Sliding Doors-esque, bisexual, and absolutely charming. Loved the cleverness of the structure and shoutouts to other YAs... including It Goes Like This! Dahlia Adler is as always, really great.

A Twist of the Knife (by Anthony Horowitz) mystery, series

The aforementioned fourth book in the Hawthorne series. I finished this on the train home, half-asleep due to jetlag, so my notes just say "breezy! not as tight as #3 but enjoyable mise en scène." Not even convinced I used mise en scène correctly but there you have it. 

Phew! There you have it, the 17 books I read on my six-week vacation.

Fun Weekend Reads

Because I'm too lazy to make two whole posts.

Very Sincerely Yours (by Kerry Winfrey) 

An extremely charming romcom recommended by a colleague at work. Our main character, Teddy, breaks up with a truly horrible guy (masterclass in setting him up as a villain from page one) and begins writing letters to a local TV Mr. Rogers-style puppeteer.  Hijinks ensue.  I loved Teddy and Everett and all the side characters, and the novel is really funny, with plot developments that are not overly contrived.  Just really works.  

Imogen, Obviously (by Becky Albertalli) 

Becky Albertalli has been criticized for writing queer novels as a cishet person, and clearly grappled with that criticism while at the same time coming to realize she's queer (she identifies as bisexual). This is relevant because she basically fictionalized and young adulted her journey and turned it into Imogen, Obviously.  There are definitely places where it moves too far into autobiography (the pop culture references are almost all from Gen X, for example) but Imogen is very loveable and her journey is relatable.  Overall, enjoyed it.

Cruisin' Books

During spring break, we took a cruise with my parents. I didn't read a lot (I took Dramamine and napped instead) but I did finish a few books:

The Other Black Girl (by Zakiya Dalila Harris) 

I read this for the Read Harder Challenge category "social horror, mystery, or thriller novel." I still don't know exactly what that category is all about, but the Book Riot newsletter recommended it for this category so I went with it. My hopes were high as I've heard a lot of buzz about this! But sadly it fell flat for me.  The plot never sharpens into focus, there are too many point of view characters whose narratives are unresolved and whose identities aren't even always clear. More power to those who loved this book as I do feel it had interesting things to say about racial identity but the execution was, in my opinion, not good.

Forget Me Not (by Alyson Derrick)

I loved She Gets the Girl so I was excited to get this one as soon as possible and timed it so it could be my first true vacation read (once I finished up TOBG). As with her previous novel, Derrick deals with the real pain of coming from a rural, impoverished, homophobic community.  The romance is well done and the relationship doesn't quite go to some of the predictable places I expected it to go. I've read a lot of YA (you don't say) and so unpredictability is always a plus. I'll be first in line to read whatever Derrick publishes next. And speaking of YA....

The Love Match (by Priyanka Taslim) 

A Bengali-American girl in a Pride and Prejudice-esque love triangle. It's very well written and Begali-American culture is integrated organically. I think the ending is an homage to natok/Bollywood, which is why it's a bit over the top and silly, and weirdly elides the culmination of the big romance. But still, a delightful read and a wonderful main character.

Seven Percent of Ro Devereaux (by Ellen O’Clover)  

I cried so much over this book my eyes were puffy by the end - something about it was so emotional for me, possibly because all the emotions are dialed up to 11 from start to finish and Ro is such a terrific character.  You'd think it was about a terminally ill character instead of someone who develops an app that goes viral.  Of course, the way this plays out doesn't quite make sense but if you suspend disbelief a bit, you'll go on a lovely emotional roller coaster ride. Also I cannot believe any human is named Ellen O'Clover, so I'll have to look into that. 

Out of Character (by Jenna Miller)

Yay, a young adult book about a fat, nerdy, fandom-loving lesbian! (And "under 500 Goodreads ratings" so it qualifies for the RHC to boot.

There is a moment towards the beginning that stretched my suspension of belief to the breaking point (the thing with her mom) but otherwise I liked the real messiness of this and the fact that it didn't completely hinge on misunderstandings or other YA tropes. I guess Cass not admitting her involvement in fandom might qualify, but I understood why the character felt the way she did. I also have never seen such a realistic portrayal of fandom being used as escapism before, and I loved that.

Mostly, a really enjoyable YA that isn't perfect, but I wholeheartedly recommend anyway if it sounds like something you'd like. 

Xcaret Books

Here are the books that I finished on my trip - fewer than usual, because my friends and I were doing a "pass and play" board game on the flights! 

And the Category is…Inside New York's Vogue, House, and Ballroom Community (by Ricky Tucker) 

For the Read Harder Challenge category "a nonfiction book about BIPOC and/or queer history."  This is the history of the ballroom community, as you can probably guess from the title. I enjoyed this, although I found it structurally disjointed.  I would have loved this as, for instance, an oral history in chronological order. Maybe with a glossary of terms. Instead it's kind of a mishmash. But a lot of good information about an important political movement. 

It’s Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake (by Claire Christian) 

Another RHC book, this time "a romance with bisexual representation." Noni goes through a bad breakup and decides to take a sabbatical for work and go back to sleep with the ones that got away. It's very sex-positive and body positive, pretty light, but has interesting things to say about deciding what you want in life and going for it.  Enjoyable. 

Friday I’m in Love (by Camryn Garrett) 

My favorite Garrett YA novel so far. I enjoyed how it's essentially a Sapphic romance about Black joy, but also deals in a real way with issues of class and generational trauma that don't have easy answers. Loved our main character and the crackling chemistry with her love interest. Really an excellent YA.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (by Shehan Karunatilaka) 

This is a Tournament of Books selection but also qualifies as "a historical fiction book set in an Eastern country" since it is set in the late '80s in Sri Lanka. I learned a lot about the history of this country and the civil war.  The narrator is a ghost who is in the "in between" and trying to solve his own murder. Beautifully written, as you might expect from something that won the Booker Prize last year. I wouldn't be surprised to see this win the ToB (I mean you never know, it could be out in the first round, but nonetheless it would be a deserving winner.) Really fabulous.

Never Ever Getting Back Together (by Sophie Gonzales)

A nice, fun holiday read with great bisexual representation and a slight genre problem.  The premise is that Sophie and Maya go on a Bachelor-like game show where women are competing to win the affections of the bachelor, who in this case is their ex-boyfriend, but begin to fall for each other instead.  

This premise would work perfectly with people in their mid-20s, but the characters are like 19? They handwave the alcohol thing as "the drinking age in this small European country is 18" which is fine I guess, but how has this dude accrued this giant list of "exes" when he's barely 20? How are the relationship histories serious enough to warrant all this drama?

And the villain gets his comeuppance at the end, which is satisfying I guess, but not when he's basically still a kid. Maybe this is just me being An Old. Anyway, I solved this by mentally aging all the characters up to 25 years old, and then I really enjoyed it!

Boston Books

As usual, I did some of my favorite reading in airports and on planes, and finished six books on my trip to and from Boston.  Here they are:

The Boleyn Inheritance (by Philippa Gregory) 

A fun page-turner that had the songs from Six stuck in my head the entire time. It's well-researched but repetitive (the phrase"Boleyn inheritance" is in this book 23 times) and not particularly literary in its execution (lol, execution).  But I enjoyed the story, told from the alternating perspectives of Katherine Howard, Anna of Cleves, and Jane Boleyn.  Anna's story gets somewhat less interesting once she leaves court, but I did enjoy the interpretation that as long as Henry was alive and chopping heads off, she lived in fear. Pulpy and fun if you enjoy the time period.

The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers (by Adam Sass)

Could not have been more adorable, and maybe my favorite book on this list. Messy and complex, which I always enjoy as it feels more real than a romcom hitting all the expected beats. Loved the cast, the setting, the queer rep, the plus-sized rep.  The best YA I've read in a while, I think! Adorbs.

Broken (by Jenny Lawson) 

Funny and real, albeit in a "these are blog posts clumped together in book form" format. It works anyway, though, because Jenny Lawson is a great writer! She isn't afraid to explore her own challenges with depression and anxiety and also runs it through with humor, ala Allie Brosh.

The Unlikely Thru-Hiker (by Derick Lugo) 

Read for "an adventure story by a BIPOC author."  I struggled with this category (we are down to the "categories Mo struggled with" portion of the year). I can think of some perfect books I've read in the past, like The Good Lord Bird, Washington Black, or Underground Railroad that I would consider to be "adventure stories" but I've read all of those. Book Riot recommended a lot of fantasy adventure, and fantasy isn't my favorite. So instead I went for the nonfiction adventure, the story of a Black man who thru-hikes the Appalachian Trail.  Derick (better known on the trail as Mr. Fabulous) has a distinct voice and a great sense of humor; this felt like reading his diary, in a good way.  I wished for pictures since he often talked about taking pictures on the trail! But a fun read and unique perspective, so I'm glad I picked it. 

The Stench of Honolulu (by Jack Handey) 

This is an extremely silly book by Jack Handey, of Deep Thoughts fame. It was recommended by the blended family whose wedding was the reason for my trip to Boston, as apparently it is quoted a lot in their household.  Very funny, clever and amusing as you might expect! 

The Bullet that Missed (by Richard Oseman) 

This was the book I saved especially for this trip, the third in the Thursday Murder Club series and maybe my favorite one so far! Absolutely delightful, and this series is a must for mystery fans. It's very funny and charming, and the protagonists are all in a retirement community so it showcases vibrant people gracefully dealing with aging while also solving crimes.  

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone (by Lori Gottleib)

Sneaking one more in here since I read most of it on the plane. It's by a therapist who has to go to therapy herself to deal with a traumatic breakup.  I am surprised I was so compelled by this one, downloaded it from the library on a whim and somehow ended up finishing the whole thing! I am dying to know who "John" is (some elements almost have to be true, like the TV show having a therapist, which seems like it would make it possible to deduce...) but regardless, an interesting view of both sides of therapy, and I enjoyed it!

This Is Why They Hate Us (by Aaron H. Aceves)

This book has such chaotic bisexual energy and I am here for it.

Enrique is bisexual and in love with his best friend Saleem, who doesn't return his feelings. So he decides to explore his sexuality with other guys (and the help of his best friend Fabiola, also bi) over the summer while Saleem is away.

Fabiola fits this weird theme of "manic pixie sex-obsessed female best friend" that I've seen in more than one book lately and it's a little too much, but sure.  Via the character of Quique, Aaron Aceves explores sexuality, bisexuality, Mexican, Afro-Latina, Palestinian, and Muslim culture, reasons he's preferring guys to girls, mental health, revealing parts of yourself to others, suicidal ideation, therapy, and other heavy and not-so heavy topics. He has a borderline inappropriate relationship with a teacher he seeks out as a mentor - mega-messy, but not necessarily unrealistic. 

My only issue is that the ending felt rushed.  I thought Aceves did such a good job of building sexual tension and reinforcing Quique's love for Saleem, but I didn't understand Saleem's journey at all or how things abruptly resolved.  It might have been another element of the chaos.

One other note is this book is extremely sexuall frank and it's not a young young adult romance by any means. Something to be aware of for sure.

Weekend Reads and Deep Thoughts

I think I got all the tags for this diverse assortment of reads, which I finished over the weekend. 

Happily Ever Island (by Crystal Cestari) 

Okay, this would have been an instant-DNF if not for the Disney angle; the writing is very tell, don't show and reads extremely young for a romance between alleged college-age adults. The chemistry of the romance pairings isn't amazing (the two leads could have fallen in love, making for a better developed romance, but instead they each have their own underdeveloped love interest).  The suspension of disbelief required for this magical Disney island is off the charts (none of it makes any sense, this review by Abigail on Goodreads nails it). The book is produced by Disney and is straight-up propaganda. But did I finish the whole thing and enjoy all the Disneyness of it all? I absolutely did. But this is for Disney mega-fans only.

Husband Material (by Alexis Hall) 

The sequel to Boyfriend Material and has the same Bridget Jones type of vibe. It shamelessly borrows the structure of Four Weddings and a Funeral, although the throughline isn't as well-established. But still laugh-out-loud funny and an enjoyable read.  

Sad Cypress (by Agatha Christie) 

A Christie that is very good, not mind-blowing, but extremely solid. The characters are compelling, the solution is satisfying.  The racism, while unfortunately present as it is in most of Christie's books, is at least minimal.  (Can they do a "cut back on the racism" edit of these books already?) Recommended for Christie fans.

70. Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction (editor Joshua Whitehead) 

A Read Harder pick for "an anthology featuring diverse voices."  I bought this from the publisher on paper to support the editor and authors. My favorite parts were actually the editor's note at the beginning and the final two stories! The editor's note from Joshua Whitehead has been in my head since I read it, for two reasons.  

Firstly, he interrogates the typical notion of post-apocalyptic fiction by asserting that for indigenous people, we have already been living in a post-apocalyptic dystopia. And I was like oh my god, of course we have. I realized how deeply my colonialist mindset had been embedded. Of course this is the dystopia. And not just in the "post-Trump-era" way that white people think of it, but in the post-colonial, post-slavery, post-indiginous genocide, post-smallpox and Columbus way. We've been in the dystopia all along. (Whitehead focuses the stories in this anthology on post-apocalyptic hope for native communities, and this is why.)

Secondly, there are a lot of queer stories here, and Whitehead brings up Annie on My Mind as the first queer YA with a happy ending. It was published in 1985, when I was 10 years old. I probably discovered it when I was 13 or so.  And in every other book I read, the protagonists were white and straight and cis.  No wonder I devour queer YA now.  No wonder it took me so long to realize I was bisexual, as I had absolutely no framework to think about it before that. And my child at age 10-13 will be growing up with a world of representation that we didn't have a generation ago. It's really amazing to me.

Anyway, that one paragraph in the introduction made the book worth it, but the stories are also enjoyable all the way through, and I recommend checking it out!

Recent Reads

And 75% of it wasn't even YA! 

Boyfriend Material (by Alexis Hall)

An adult M/M romance that I absolutely loved. Romance isn't actually my favorite genre but this was just hilarious, hot, funny - did I mention funny? Just thoroughly enjoyable with a great central couple. Plus, the sequel comes out next month! Highly recommended for romance fans.

Flying Solo (by Linda Holmes)

I loved Linda's first book, Evvie Drake Starts Over. This didn't quite hit the same heights for me, mostly   the pacing didn't work for me.  But the characters are great, and the main character's independence made for a nice subversion of the "hometown career girl discovers she belongs in her hometown with her childhood love" trope.

Follow Your Arrow (by Jessica Verdi)

Weak, but had a good ending that directly confronted biphobia and not being "bisexual enough" if you're with a man.  The main character did have some good growth over the course of the book but she was just insufferable at the beginning with her fixation on social media.  Plus she has a supposedly traumatic breakup and is in love with someone else in like a week? The timeline felt very compressed and clunky. I just stuck it out out of bisexual loyalty, I think.

Sea of Tranquility (by Emily St. John Mandel) 

This is one of the choices for Camp ToB this year (which is taking place on Discord for some reason, so I'm barely following it).  I didn't love Station Eleven as much as seemingly everyone else in the world, so I was not expecting this: I loved this novel. I adored it. I guarantee this will end up on my top 5 of the year and maybe even #1.  It's reminiscent of Cloud Atlas (jumps through time, a cyclical structure) but somehow Mandel pulls off a novel with the scope and impact of Cloud Atlas in like 300 pages? This blew me away.