Posting my September wrap-up late because I've been sick for the past week and haven't had the energy to do anything. This was a pretty slow month for me, with some disappointing reads. Here's to a better October!
September 2022 Wrap-Up 1. Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales See full review here. 2. The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson 3 out of 5 stars Content warning: sexual assault, violence, racism This book was heartbreaking. Lou faces racism, violence, and so many other hardships. It was hard for me to get through this book at times. But I appreciated the perspective of an indigenous Canadian family. There aren't enough YA books with that representation. (though I can't really comment further, as I'm fully white and can't comment on the accuracy). The one problem I did have was the ace rep. I kept seeing this described as an ace book, but it took a looooong time to get there, and then it was kind of glossed over. Lou struggles with internalized acephobia and thinking there's something wrong with her for most of the book (which, fair. Fellow ace and I've been there). But it seemed like the actual conclusion of that storyline was very quick and tidy and that was that. I also really disliked how this book handled Florence's bipolar disorder. I'm really not sure what the point of including it was, other than to make her an unreliable/flaky friend. I really didn't appreciate that portrayal of mental illness. 3. Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus 4 out of 5 stars The thing about Karen M. McManus books is that as I'm reading, I think, "well that's just obvious." And then boom! Twist. Then I keep reading, and go, "well, duh." Boom! Twist. Then you get to the end and think, how did I not catch that? I don't know how she packs so many twists into each book without it being too much, but she does. And I thoroughly enjoy her books. 4. Dead End Girls by Wendy Heard 3 out of 5 stars I enjoyed reading this book for the most part. But in the end, I just kind of feel meh about it. It was suspenseful and twisty, but also pretty predictable at times. Overall, it was good, but not great. 5. Magical Boy Volume 1 by The Kao 5 out of 5 stars Content warning: transphobia, homophobia, deadnaming This was a reread and I still loved it so much. 6. Magical Boy Volume 2 by The Kao 5 out of 5 stars Content warning: transphobia, homophobia, deadnaming My heart. I love this series so much. It's action-packed, heartfelt, and super queer. What more could you want? It’s definitely a favorite of mine. 7. Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo 3 out of 5 stars This was fine? I liked the story and the illustrations. But most of the twists didn't actually surprise me much. It also resolved very quickly. The more I think about it, the more I see HP parallels, too, which is a bit off-putting. But overall, it was a quick, entertaining read. 8. The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson 3 out of 5 stars Content warnings: bullying, racism, police brutality This was a really interesting retelling of Carrie. I liked that the narrative was broken up by podcast interviews, newspaper articles, book excerpts, etc.-- similar to the original Carrie. As someone familiar with the original, it was pretty predictable. But overall it was an interesting (though heartbreaking) read. 9. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe 5 out of 5 stars This was a reread for me, so I’ve included my updated and my original reviews UPDATE: Just finished re-reading and I loved it even more the second time. I've spent the last year really beginning to accept that I'm nonbinary, and there are parts of this book that just really speak to me. I found myself writing specific quotes down because I loved them so much. Though Maia's experience also greatly differs from mine (there's no one-size-fits-all), it's so inspiring to read eir story. Original review: I loved this. Maia (e/em/eir) tells eir story so honestly and beautifully. The illustrations are great. And I loved reading eir journey to discovering eir gender queerness and asexuality.
0 Comments
|
Details
AuthorI'm HaileyAnne! I'm a queer librarian who loves books and kpop. Archives
August 2023
Categories |