Slowly catching up on my book reviews!
Queer Windows Vol. 2 – Cay Fletcher
I LOVED these stories, maybe even a little more than the previous volume. I would have loved some timestamps in the last story, and I’m personally not the biggest fan of enemies-to-lovers, but those are just personal things. I loved the last story, and all the different layers it had. Beautiful, beautiful stories.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne Collins
I cannot believe it took me so long to read this book, and I’m glad I finally did (I do plan on reading Sunrise on the Reaping once it comes out in paperback). I feel like Collins was so frustrated with how her books were represented, particularly with the romance. I don’t believe Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird were ever in love–they saw each other as a means to an end, as a way for escape. Snow’s path and choices he made to get to where he was in the main trilogy mirrors Katniss’s turmoil of whether to follow Gail or Peeta (war or peace. Literally, she even says that). Great book, 10/10.
That’s What She Said – Eleanor Pilcher
The conversations involving intimacy and sex were so comforting and refreshing–it felt like the author really put a lot of consideration into making this dialogue have a lot of tact. I also feel like we don’t see a lot of discussion (as well as respect) for those on the asexual spectrum, especially demisexuality. It was so wonderful to see.
Call Your Boyfriend – Olivia A. Cole and Ashley Woodfolk
I loved how the authors wrote in “Free Palestine,” as well as having a non-binary teacher using the Mx. honorific. I hate miscommunication as a trope, as well as “withholding important information because it’ll hurt the feelings of the other person and everything will be better if they just talked it out, but I understand you won’t have a story if they did,” even though I know that one makes more sense in a literary sense. It was fun, though! I feel like the resolution with Maia was very rushed and left a lot of things unresolved.
My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness – Nagata Kabi
I don’t tend to do an in-depth review on non-fiction, especially memoir, since that’s a person’s life, and the way they tell their story is personal to them. I really feel for the author and her journey, not just her relationship with sex and sexuality, but her desire to leave home and find stable work.
Bonus:
Cold Enough for Snow – Jessica Au
I read this book for my Novel Writing class, and it felt really good to a) read a book for class and discuss it (can you tell I loved being an English major?), b) highlight and analyze text and quotes, and c) take my time reading a book. Lately I have been powering through books and this gave me the chance to take it slow. I highly recommend it.
E. A. Young Writes 