en-US Tue, 15 Apr 2025 16:29:20 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 226513738
Nerdy and shy, scholarship student Daniel de La Luna arrives at college nervous to meet his golden-haired, athletic roommate, whose Facebook photos depict a boy just like those who made Daniel's school years hell.

Sam Morris is not what he had imagined, though. As the two settle into college life they drink tequila under the stars, go on long runs through snow-covered hills, explore freshman nightlife, and inch closer until they find themselves in love.

But their blissful first year is over all too soon. Daniel's summer in his ancestral homeland of México becomes a rollercoaster of revelations, before his life is brutally upended by the unimaginable.

How We Named the Stars is a tale of love, heartache and learning to honour the dead. Daniel and Sam will leave you forever changed.]]> Andrés N. Ordorica Kj 0 currently-reading, queer-ye 0.0 2024
author: Andrés N. Ordorica
name: Kj
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: currently-reading, queer-ye
review:

]]> 48578902
When he's not being bullied or in therapy for anxiety, sixteen-year-old Jonathan lives with his alcoholic dad in the suburbs of St. Louis. Still coping with the death of his mother, his elaborate imagination keeps him afloat and is a balm against vicious school bullies. But everything changes when a Native American boy named Web joins his English class three weeks before the school year ends.

After being partnered for an English project, Jonathan realizes Web is different from his classmates: he's confident, stands up to Jonathan's bullies, and calms Jonathan's severe anxiety. Then one day Web kisses him, and throws Jonathan into a tailspin. It's 1973 and being gay is considered a mental illness. Eventually he tells Web they can't be together.

But when things get bad at home Jonathan must decide if he wants to stand up to his dad, and his therapist, and be true to himself.]]> James Brandon Kj 4 queer-ye
Potent and sometimes overwhelming in the cruelties depicted and described. Concerned readers should definitely check for content warnings, notably hate crimes and aversion/conversion therapies.

There were some magic moments in here between our central Ziggy-loving protagonist and the out-of-town boy he connects with on an almost cosmic level. That hyperbolic dynamic makes sense from the first person POV of this particular 17 year old, but that same POV also brings a lot of caricatures of other characters, most egregiously with the "redneck" antagonists that appear monstrous rather than recognizable. That's how this kid in 1973 sees them, but it doesn't read particularly believably, even if their actions are believable. And for each shimmering moment between Jonathan and Web, there's about 25 other chapters of inconsistent story development and impact. I completely lost track of time of day and location for the last three chapters. I think that may be purposeful in the style of storytelling, but it makes a difficult journey that much harder.

I do recommend this, but with the caveat of coming in knowing there will be a lot of "negative to navigate" as the characters themselves would say. It brought to mind Douglas Stuart's Young Mungo, in terms of how human horror and magnificently vulnerable tenderness interplay between pages. It's a lot to take in.

[Tom Picasso does a worthy job narrating the often choppy, open-ended dialogue. Made me curious to know what the dialogue looks like on the page.]]]> 3.90 2019
author: James Brandon
name: Kj
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: queer-ye
review:
3.5

Potent and sometimes overwhelming in the cruelties depicted and described. Concerned readers should definitely check for content warnings, notably hate crimes and aversion/conversion therapies.

There were some magic moments in here between our central Ziggy-loving protagonist and the out-of-town boy he connects with on an almost cosmic level. That hyperbolic dynamic makes sense from the first person POV of this particular 17 year old, but that same POV also brings a lot of caricatures of other characters, most egregiously with the "redneck" antagonists that appear monstrous rather than recognizable. That's how this kid in 1973 sees them, but it doesn't read particularly believably, even if their actions are believable. And for each shimmering moment between Jonathan and Web, there's about 25 other chapters of inconsistent story development and impact. I completely lost track of time of day and location for the last three chapters. I think that may be purposeful in the style of storytelling, but it makes a difficult journey that much harder.

I do recommend this, but with the caveat of coming in knowing there will be a lot of "negative to navigate" as the characters themselves would say. It brought to mind Douglas Stuart's Young Mungo, in terms of how human horror and magnificently vulnerable tenderness interplay between pages. It's a lot to take in.

[Tom Picasso does a worthy job narrating the often choppy, open-ended dialogue. Made me curious to know what the dialogue looks like on the page.]
]]> 229902900 Marco should be at university, studying biomedicine. Instead, he’s been sent to live on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean with his estranged uncle, all because of a “blip�� everyone else is convinced was a panic attack. (Which it most definitely was not.)
And even though Marco’s trip is supposed to provide answers—about himself, about his family—all he finds on board the Ocean Melody are more and more questions.
But then his best friend CeCe proposes a new for someone who has always done the right thing, in every possible way, it’s time for Marco to get a few things wrong. And hooking up with a hot dancer from the ship is only the beginning ��
“A wonderfully funny and heartfelt novel that is also intensely, relatably human. I
devoured it in one sitting.”—Jennifer Niven, #1 New York Times bestselling author
of All the Bright Places]]> Tobias Madden Kj 0 queer-ye
This will be an enjoyable read for plenty of people and I've really enjoyed the two previous Tobias Madden books I've read, but this one just wasn't my vibe. Really long lead-in to a consistently hard to picture and hard to believe plot that points towards flirty and fun without quite getting there.]]> 4.00
author: Tobias Madden
name: Kj
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: queer-ye
review:
DNF 36%

This will be an enjoyable read for plenty of people and I've really enjoyed the two previous Tobias Madden books I've read, but this one just wasn't my vibe. Really long lead-in to a consistently hard to picture and hard to believe plot that points towards flirty and fun without quite getting there.
]]> 227907826 From the acclaimed author of Chef's Kiss, a groundbreaking trans Regency romance that's both delightfully witty and refreshingly iconoclastic.

The notoriously eccentric Lord Christopher Eden is a “man of unusual make�� and even more unusual habits: he prefers to live as far from the prying eyes and ears of the ton as possible, and would rather have the comfortable company of his childhood cook and his aged butler, Plinkton, than the swarm of servants and hangers-on befitting a man of his station.

But Christopher's pleasant, if occasionally lonely life is upended when he receives word from his lawyers that, according to his late father’s will, he must find a wife by the end of the Season if he intends to keep his family's fortune and the Eden's End estate. Christopher cannot imagine a worse fate: as he isn't attracted to women, his chances of making a wife happy are slim. Furthermore, if his quest to marry has any hope of succeeding, he must move to London posthaste and acquire some more suitable staff.

Enter James Harding, Christopher's new, distractingly handsome—if rigidly traditional—valet. After a rocky start, the two strike up a fragile friendship amid the throes of the London Season . . . a friendship that threatens to shatter under the looming shadow of Christopher’s impending nuptials—and the secrets both men are keeping.

With its heady combination of dry wit, slow-burn romance, and a nuanced, complex portrait of trans identity and relationships that’s as relevant now as it was during the Regency era, Eden's End stands to transform the historical romance genre as we know it.]]> 9 T.J. Alexander Kj 4 queer-ye
Far too much is saved up and rushed through in the final act, which undercuts the emotional and narrative payoff, but I never felt frustrated or let down by what was here; just would have been happy to get more time for everything that happens.

[Wonderful audiobook narration by Harrison Knight]]]> 3.80 2025
author: T.J. Alexander
name: Kj
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: queer-ye
review:
A calm, quiet, comfort read that, while not living up to its full story potential, delivers some meaningful complexity and beautiful trans* historicity.

Far too much is saved up and rushed through in the final act, which undercuts the emotional and narrative payoff, but I never felt frustrated or let down by what was here; just would have been happy to get more time for everything that happens.

[Wonderful audiobook narration by Harrison Knight]
]]> 216822994 Unfolding in South Wales against the backdrop of Section 28, the age of consent debate and the HIV and AIDS crisis, this is a tender and resonant love story, and a powerful debut.]]> 119 Anthony Shapland 1803511613 Kj 0 to-read, library-request 4.06
author: Anthony Shapland
name: Kj
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read, library-request
review:

]]> 176444106 Abundance is a once-in-a-generation, paradigm-shifting call to rethink big, entrenched problems that seem mired in systemic from climate change to housing, education to healthcare.

To trace the global history of the twenty-first century so far is to trace a history of growing unaffordability and shortage. After years of refusing to build sufficient housing, the entire country has a national housing crisis. After years of slashing immigration, we don’t have enough workers. After decades of off-shoring manufacturing, we have a shortage of chips for cars and computers. Despite decades of being warned about the consequences of climate change, we haven’t built anything close to the clean energy infrastructure we need. The crisis that’s clicking into focus now has been building for decades—because we haven’t been building enough.

Abundance explains that our problems today are not the results of yesteryear’s villains. Rather, one generation’s solutions have become the next generation’s problems. Rules and regulations designed to solve the environmental problems of the 1970s often prevent urban density and green energy projects that would help solve the environmental problems of the 2020s. Laws meant to ensure that government considers the consequences of its actions in matters of education and healthcare have made it too difficult for government to act consequentially. In the last few decades, our capacity to see problems has sharpened while our ability to solve them has diminished.

Progress requires the ability to see promise rather than just peril in the creation of new ideas and projects, and an instinct to design systems and institutions that make building possible. In a book exploring how can move from a liberalism that not only protects and preserves but also builds, Klein and Thompson trace the political, economic, and cultural barriers to progress and how we can adopt a mindset directed toward abundance, and not scarcity, to overcome them.]]> 304 Ezra Klein 1668023482 Kj 0 own-it, currently-reading 4.15 2025
author: Ezra Klein
name: Kj
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: own-it, currently-reading
review:

]]> 1616787 368 Donald Burrows 0521456134 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 3.71 1997
author: Donald Burrows
name: Kj
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 6793314 336 Edward Blakeman 0571238319 Kj 2 own-it
The information is oddly stratified, making it so one needs to know a fair bit about what you're looking up in order to find out anything about it. Further, not only is the book overly-long, but much at that is caused by the continual chunking of direct quotes from 18th century Handel biographies. Instead of summarizing and synthesizing the significant text insertions by contemporaries like Charles Burney and John Mainwaring, we get the ponderous, purple-prosed paragraphs by these Georgian writers entirely devoid of interpretation or impact. We even get an entire chapter quoting chronological letters by "Mrs Delaney," who gave lots of dinner parties in Handel's honor, and that chapter exists...because those letters exist? Not sure what I was meant to take away.

Published in 2009, this pocket guide was also still within the time frame when books would publish information about information to locate on the internet, a practice that was as instantly unhelpful then as it is now. The publication year coincides with the 250th anniversary of Handel's death, so the timing makes sense, but it also means it came out before a ton of excellent Handel revivals and recordings began to proliferate, so the recordings recommendations feel equally out of date.

I will still use this as a resource to look up info about the Handel I'm already listening to, but it wasn't a great introduction to new things to explore or to the composer's life. But as a memento from the Handel House on Brook Street, it's nice to have on my shelf.
]]> 4.00 2009
author: Edward Blakeman
name: Kj
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: own-it
review:
For a pocket guide, this is not particularly user-friendly or pocket-sized.

The information is oddly stratified, making it so one needs to know a fair bit about what you're looking up in order to find out anything about it. Further, not only is the book overly-long, but much at that is caused by the continual chunking of direct quotes from 18th century Handel biographies. Instead of summarizing and synthesizing the significant text insertions by contemporaries like Charles Burney and John Mainwaring, we get the ponderous, purple-prosed paragraphs by these Georgian writers entirely devoid of interpretation or impact. We even get an entire chapter quoting chronological letters by "Mrs Delaney," who gave lots of dinner parties in Handel's honor, and that chapter exists...because those letters exist? Not sure what I was meant to take away.

Published in 2009, this pocket guide was also still within the time frame when books would publish information about information to locate on the internet, a practice that was as instantly unhelpful then as it is now. The publication year coincides with the 250th anniversary of Handel's death, so the timing makes sense, but it also means it came out before a ton of excellent Handel revivals and recordings began to proliferate, so the recordings recommendations feel equally out of date.

I will still use this as a resource to look up info about the Handel I'm already listening to, but it wasn't a great introduction to new things to explore or to the composer's life. But as a memento from the Handel House on Brook Street, it's nice to have on my shelf.

]]> 35354217 This vital exploration of the ways society overlooks—and fails—young women with disabilities and chronic illnesses is an “essential read for . . . those wondering how to be a better support system�� (Library Journal). Michele Lent Hirsch knew she couldn’t be the only woman who has dealt with serious health issues at a young age, as well as the resulting effects on her career, her relationships, and her sense of self. What she found while researching Invisible was a surprisingly large and overlooked population—and now, with long COVID emerging, one that continues to grow.�� Though young women with serious illness tend to be seen as outliers, young female patients are in fact the primary demographic for many illnesses. They are also one of the most ignored groups in our medical system—a system where young women, especially women of color and trans women, are invisible. And because of expectations about gender and age, young women with health issues must often deal with bias in their careers and personal lives. Lent Hirsch weaves her own experiences together with stories from other women, perspectives from sociologists on structural inequality and inequity, and insights from neuroscientists on misogyny in health research. She shows how health issues and disabilities amplify what women in general already warped beauty standards, workplace sexism, worries about romantic partners, and mistrust of their own bodies. By shining a light on this hidden demographic, Lent Hirsch explores the challenges that all women face.]]> 242 Michele Lent Hirsch 0807023965 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 3.76 2018
author: Michele Lent Hirsch
name: Kj
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 226947012 A sweet and sexy hockey romance about two ex-teammates and former best friends with benefits who are about to discover whether you can ever really have a second chance. From the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Game Changers series and Time to Shine .

After moving back to his hometown ten years ago, Riley Tuck thought he had left his major league hockey career—and his broken heart—far behind. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, it brings ex-teammate and former best friend with benefits Adam Sheppard back into his life.

Coming to the small town of Avery River, Nova Scotia, might have been a mistake. Adam’s not sure he’ll ever win back Riley’s trust after the way they left things—and the attention he’s getting as a huge hockey star isn’t exactly helping. Yet the chemistry that crackles between them is undeniable, even now.

As Adam helps Riley navigate his grief, long-buried feelings start to resurface. But they’ll have to square off with their complicated past if they’re going to have a real shot at a new beginning.]]> 10 Rachel Reid Kj 3 queer-ye
Pleasant with some very resonate feels. However, while this could have been a victory lap of a book, some elements kept me from being fully drawn in.

1. Pacing: Lots of gaps of time where momentum halts even though we know where we're headed. The jumps back in time are initially intriguing, but they never reveal something new or add much complexity to what is known. Basically, there's a lot of narrative lingering in unproductive emotional frustration and then a number of leaps without emotional satisfaction.

2. What gets said and what doesn't. First, I did not love the character dialogue here. It was Bro-ing so hard for guys in their 40s. And if that was meant to reflect the ways they are still uncomfortable with each other or are trying to harken back to past times (since we know at least one of them does not talk like that with other people) it just made them sound immature and emotionally stunted (also, I think one of the characters WAS supposed to be emotionally stunted but in very unclear ways). The word "F@#%" stands in for way too many unarticulated things, which, in this story especially, really needed saying.

Then, in terms of how these two guys discuss the past, it fell sooooooo under par for realistically or effectively dealing with the harm done. I don't need fictional characters to display superhuman maturity and humility, but I really needed Riley to say [spoilers removed] Nothing truly veers into being genuinely problematic, but nothing here makes me confident about the future of this relationship. [spoilers removed]

3. The kids. Did not love how dismissive the novel and the adults in it are about the two teenage kids affected by their dad's life and career. It's taken as a given that teenagers don't need parents around as much as younger kids (or that teenagers don't need parents much in general because they are basically grown up). Nothing about how this played out in the book shows this to be true. The dad's relationship with his kids (and his co-parent's attitude about it) is a major red flag about the kind of healing and repair he needs to do in the relationships in his life, but the novel just decides that moving to a cooler house solves everything. WTF

4. The hockey. I know hockey romance is a genre; I've read quite a few and at least one by this author. But the hockey was barely here and when when it was, it felt interchangeable with anything that could have put someone in the public eye. Yes, there are some hometown hero things that really only work with sports, but there was kind of not enough hockey here to justify its presence, or too much hockey, given how unimportant it was, so just felt distracting.

I felt a lot for Riley's experience, which is why I was not ready for how quickly forgiveness arrives or the way in which it happens. There was so much good stuff here that just didn't string together truthfully enough to make me root for anything more than some simple and direct conversations that never actually take place.

[Great audiobook narration by Greg Boudreaux, despite all the "Bro-ing" vocabulary he had to make do with]]]> 4.13 2025
author: Rachel Reid
name: Kj
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: queer-ye
review:
3.5

Pleasant with some very resonate feels. However, while this could have been a victory lap of a book, some elements kept me from being fully drawn in.

1. Pacing: Lots of gaps of time where momentum halts even though we know where we're headed. The jumps back in time are initially intriguing, but they never reveal something new or add much complexity to what is known. Basically, there's a lot of narrative lingering in unproductive emotional frustration and then a number of leaps without emotional satisfaction.

2. What gets said and what doesn't. First, I did not love the character dialogue here. It was Bro-ing so hard for guys in their 40s. And if that was meant to reflect the ways they are still uncomfortable with each other or are trying to harken back to past times (since we know at least one of them does not talk like that with other people) it just made them sound immature and emotionally stunted (also, I think one of the characters WAS supposed to be emotionally stunted but in very unclear ways). The word "F@#%" stands in for way too many unarticulated things, which, in this story especially, really needed saying.

Then, in terms of how these two guys discuss the past, it fell sooooooo under par for realistically or effectively dealing with the harm done. I don't need fictional characters to display superhuman maturity and humility, but I really needed Riley to say [spoilers removed] Nothing truly veers into being genuinely problematic, but nothing here makes me confident about the future of this relationship. [spoilers removed]

3. The kids. Did not love how dismissive the novel and the adults in it are about the two teenage kids affected by their dad's life and career. It's taken as a given that teenagers don't need parents around as much as younger kids (or that teenagers don't need parents much in general because they are basically grown up). Nothing about how this played out in the book shows this to be true. The dad's relationship with his kids (and his co-parent's attitude about it) is a major red flag about the kind of healing and repair he needs to do in the relationships in his life, but the novel just decides that moving to a cooler house solves everything. WTF

4. The hockey. I know hockey romance is a genre; I've read quite a few and at least one by this author. But the hockey was barely here and when when it was, it felt interchangeable with anything that could have put someone in the public eye. Yes, there are some hometown hero things that really only work with sports, but there was kind of not enough hockey here to justify its presence, or too much hockey, given how unimportant it was, so just felt distracting.

I felt a lot for Riley's experience, which is why I was not ready for how quickly forgiveness arrives or the way in which it happens. There was so much good stuff here that just didn't string together truthfully enough to make me root for anything more than some simple and direct conversations that never actually take place.

[Great audiobook narration by Greg Boudreaux, despite all the "Bro-ing" vocabulary he had to make do with]
]]> 226179506 Did you love Madeline Miller’s Circe? Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls? Jennifer Saint's Elektra? Natalie Haynes�� A Thousand Ships?

But did you ever wonder who the real women behind the myths of the Trojan War were?

Now award-winning classicist and historian Emily Hauser takes readers on an epic journey to uncover the astonishing true story of the real women behind ancient Greece’s greatest legends �� and the real heroes of those ancient epics, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

Because, contrary to perceptions built up over three millennia, ancient history is not all about men �� and it's not only men's stories that deserve to be told . . .

In Mythica Emily Hauser tells, for the first time, the extraordinary stories of the real women behind some of the western world’s greatest legends. Following in their footsteps, digging into the history behind Homer’s epic poems, piecing together evidence from the original texts, recent astonishing archaeological finds and the latest DNA studies, she reveals who these women �� queens, mothers, warriors, slaves �� were, how they lived, and how history has (or has not �� until now) remembered them.

A riveting new history of the Bronze Age Aegean and a journey through Homer’s epics charted entirely by women �� from Helen of Troy, Briseis, Cassandra and Aphrodite to Circe, Athena, Hera, Calypso and Penelope �� Mythica is a ground-breaking reassessment of the reality behind the often-mythologized women of Greece’s greatest epics, and of the ancient world itself as we learn ever more about it.]]> 320 Emily Hauser 1529932483 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 5.00 2025
author: Emily Hauser
name: Kj
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 229810462 For fans of Kacen Callender and Mason Deaver comes a heart-tugging coming-of-age YA debut that takes a poignant look at gender identity, sexuality, friendship, and family—both the one we’re born into and the one we find for ourselves.

Seventeen-year-old Gael is used to keeping to himself. Though his best friend convinces him to attend a meeting of Plus, a support group for LGBTQIA+ teens, Gael doesn’t plan on sharing much. Where would he even start?

Between supporting his mother through her bouts of depression, dealing with his estranged father, and navigating senior year as a transgender boy at a conservative Tennessean high school, his life is a lot to unload on strangers.

But after meeting easygoing Declan, Gael is welcomed into a new circle of friends who make him want to open up. As Gael’s friendship with Declan develops into something more, he finds himself caught between his mother’s worsening mental health and his father’s attempts to reconnect.

After tragedy strikes, Gael must decide if he can risk letting the walls around his heart down and fully opening up to those who care for him.]]> Michael Gray Bulla Kj 0 to-read 0.0 2023
author: Michael Gray Bulla
name: Kj
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 35386486
Crusading journalist Nathaniel Roy is determined to expose spiritualists who exploit the grief of bereaved and vulnerable people. First on his list is the so-called Seer of London, Justin Lazarus. Nathaniel expects him to be a cheap, heartless fraud. He doesn't expect to meet a man with a sinful smile and the eyes of a fallen angel - or that a shameless swindler will spark his desires for the first time in years.

Justin feels no remorse for the lies he spins during his séances. His gullible clients simply bore him. Hostile, disbelieving, utterly irresistible Nathaniel is a fascinating challenge. And as their battle of wills and wits heats up, Justin finds he can't stop thinking about the man who's determined to ruin him.

But Justin and Nathaniel are linked by more than their fast-growing obsession with one another. They are both caught up in an aristocratic family's secrets, and Justin holds information that could be lethal. As killers, fanatics, and fog close in, Nathaniel is the only man Justin can trust - and, perhaps, the only man he could love.

Listening Length: 7 hours and 54 minutes]]> 8 K.J. Charles Kj 0 4.20 2017
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 33841918 A private detective finds passion, danger, and the love of a lifetime when he hunts down a lost earl in Victorian London.

On the trail of an aristocrat’s secret son, enquiry agent Mark Braglewicz finds his quarry in a music hall, performing as a trapeze artist with his twin sister. Graceful, beautiful, elusive, and strong, Pen Starling is like nobody Mark’s ever met—and everything he’s ever wanted. But the long-haired acrobat has an earldom and a fortune to claim.

Pen doesn’t want to live as any sort of man, least of all a nobleman. The thought of being wealthy, titled, and always in the public eye is horrifying. He likes his life now—his days on the trapeze, his nights with Mark. And he won’t be pushed into taking a title that would destroy his soul.

But there’s a killer stalking London’s foggy streets, and more lives than just Pen’s are at risk. Mark decides he must force the reluctant heir from music hall to manor house, to save Pen’s��neck. Betrayed by the one man he thought he could trust, Pen never wants to see his lover again. But when the killer comes after him, Pen must find a way to forgive—or he might not live long enough for Mark to make amends.]]> 211 K.J. Charles 0399593985 Kj 0 4.09 2017
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 34364345 A slow-burning romance and a chilling mystery bind two singular men in the suspenseful first book of a new Victorian series from K. J. Charles.

Lodging-house keeper Clem Talleyfer prefers a quiet life. He’s happy with his hobbies, his work—and especially with his lodger Rowley Green, who becomes a friend over their long fireside evenings together. If only neat, precise, irresistible Mr. Green were interested in more than friendship. . . .

Rowley just wants to be left alone—at least until he meets Clem, with his odd, charming ways and his glorious eyes. Two quiet men, lodging in the same house, coming to an understanding . . . it could be perfect. Then the brutally murdered corpse of another lodger is dumped on their doorstep and their peaceful life is shattered.

Now Clem and Rowley find themselves caught up in a mystery, threatened on all sides by violent men, with a deadly London fog closing in on them. If they’re to see their way through, the pair must learn to share their secrets—and their hearts.

Listening Length: 7 hours and 38 minutes]]> 8 K.J. Charles Kj 0 3.95 2017
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 228434463 Jamie Wendon-Dale may design haunted houses, but they don’t actually believe in ghosts—until they meet Edgar Lovejoy, who is tall, clever, beautiful…and 100% haunted.
A COZY, GHOSTLY LGBTQIA+ ROMANCE
Jamie Wendon-Dale (transmasc they/them) creates haunted houses for a living. Haunting is their life—but nobody working New Orleans' spooky circuit actually believes in ghosts.
Edgar Lovejoy (cis he/him) is 100% haunted. No, really. Ghosts have tormented him since childhood and he’s organized his life around attempts to avoid them.
Opposites? Get ready to attract. But while Jamie’s biggest concern is that Edgar sometimes seems a bit distracted, Edgar’s fears are much greater. Not only is he scared of encountering the dearly departed whenever he leaves the house, but he’s terrified of making himself vulnerable to Jamie. After all, how do you tell someone who believes ghosts only exist as smoke and mirrors that you see them everywhere you go? And how can you trust in a happy future when you can’t even believe in yourself?
A little spooky, a little magical, and a whole lot The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy will leave you feeling like you’ve found a brand new bookish family of your own.]]> Roan Parrish Kj 0 to-read, library-request 0.0 2025
author: Roan Parrish
name: Kj
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read, library-request
review:

]]> 49894829
For the past miserable year, Leo hasn’t been able to stop thinking about the powerful connection he and Will shared. So, when Leo moves to New York for college, he sweeps back into Will’s life, hopeful that they can pick up where they left off. What begins as a unique friendship soon burns with chemistry they can’t deny�� though Will certainly tries.

But Leo longs for more than friendship and hot sex. A romantic to his core, Leo wants passion, love, commitment—everything Will isn’t interested in giving. Will thinks romance is a cheesy fairytale and love is overrated. He likes his space and he’s happy with things just the way they are, thank you very much. Or is he? Because as he and Leo get more and more tangled up in each other’s lives, Will begins to act like maybe love is something he could feel after all.]]> Roan Parrish 1949749061 Kj 0 3.74 2016
author: Roan Parrish
name: Kj
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 28549365
Rafael Guerrera has found ways to live with the past he’s ashamed of. He’s dedicated his life to social justice work and to helping youth who, like him, had very little growing up. He has no time for love. Hell, he barely has time for himself. Somehow, everything about miserable, self-destructive Colin cries out to him. But down that path lie the troubles Rafe has worked so hard to leave behind. And as their relationship intensifies, Rafe and Colin are forced to dredge up secrets that both men would prefer stay buried.]]> 274 Roan Parrish 1634769031 Kj 0 4.21 2016
author: Roan Parrish
name: Kj
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 42129005
As the head of his family’s philanthropic foundation, Vaughn knows very well that being rich and powerful can get him almost anything he wants. And when he meets endearingly grumpy and slightly awkward William Fox, he wants him more than he’s wanted anything. Vaughn is used to being desired for his name and his money, but Will doesn’t care about either.

When Vaughn falls back on old habits and attempts to impress Will by stealing a painting Will admires, their nascent bond blows up in his face. But Vaughn isn’t willing to give up on the glimpse of passion he saw the night he took Will apart. Before Will knows it, he’s falling for the man he should have arrested, and Vaughn has to realize that some things can’t be bought or stolen. Love has to be given freely. But can a man who lives by the rules, and a man who thinks the rules don’t apply to him, ever see eye to eye?


Heart of the Steal is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It features a Southern gentleman who thinks he’s always right, a buttoned-up FBI agent who secretly likes his buttons unbuttoned, and wall sex. And desk sex. And picnic blanket sex.]]> 9 Avon Gale Kj 0 4.03 2017
author: Avon Gale
name: Kj
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 382 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 Kj 5 own-it, research, favorites
1. Given that Collins is not an author who gives away every detail of a story or world just because audiences hunger to know every detail, why might she choose to revisit an incident already profiled in the original series—the Second Quarter Quell?
2. Since A. the first Trilogy was inspired by the the reality TV boom coinciding with the war in Iraq and portrayed an oligarchic conflation of celebrity competition and cultural suppression and B. Ballad was written during Trump's first presidency and told a story about the young formation of a future oligarchic dictator, C. what from the past 4 years of democratic collapse and global pandemic will be fueling what Collins chooses to depict in this new story-bridging novel?

I never questioned the book would be astute, gripping, unflinching, and devastating. It is.
But I'm even more struck by what a unique position this book holds with the saga. The gap between the events of the Trilogy and Ballad are so vast that it's a really a compare/contrast reading experience; the juxtaposition is revelatory and brutal. And in Katniss's books, you learn early on that absolutely anything could happen, so you are swung into continual unknowns right along with Katniss.

But with Sunrise, any reader who has spent time with the other books knows almost everything about what the ending will be. What we don't know is what will happen on the way, or even more importantly, the significance of what occurs. Fascinatingly, knowing the outcomes makes this book the saddest of the series but also the most survivable. Unlike the Trilogy, you can't really hold out much hope because the ending is known. Unlike Ballad—following young Coriolanus Snow—reading Sunrise means already having an emotional bond with Haymitch and grieving for the endings you see coming before he does.

The genius of what Collins chose to illustrate with Sunrise—the insidious role propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation play in creating a populace ready to submit to dictatorial dominance—is that she's able to use what we know to show how we've already been manipulated by the Capitol's version of events. At the same time, because (this is not a spoiler) you have every good reason to expect at least 47 children's deaths in this book, it's even more devastating to meet new characters. The novel, like all of Collins' writing, is still packed full of surprises, but if you've read the previous 4 books in publication order, you know more about Panem than any protagonist we've followed til now. That means we as readers cannot delude ourself into thinking it will be okay, any more than can the characters. This makes it all the more painful, but also provides a framework to understand what is coming and not be hit out of the blue with the realities this storywrold depicts. Because you already know, you can prepare yourself.

Which is another major difference in reading this 5th book; reading the Trilogy in the late 00's, it was very much a critical dystopia offering a warning to USAmerican culture. Reading Ballad in 2020, it was very much a warning about the kinds of experiences and beliefs that make people trust hate and violence more than each other. But reading Sunrise in March 2025, the fictional distance is just a matter of style; we are reading about now, not warnings about where we are headed. Details are different, but the dynamics are not. This is a much scarier reading experience than the "be careful, this could be us one day" warning of the series' beginning 17 years ago.

Thematic spoilers: [spoilers removed]

The result is a story about the cost of not giving up on the truth in a society that enforces lies. Sunrise, while not lacking in hope, is not about inspiring change; it validates rage. It's about making good trouble, even if you know you might not live to see the change.

Suzanne. Collins.



Post-post-reading thought: [spoilers removed]]]> 4.65 2025
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Kj
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: own-it, research, favorites
review:
When I learned Suzanne Collins was working on this forthcoming book, I had two main questions:

1. Given that Collins is not an author who gives away every detail of a story or world just because audiences hunger to know every detail, why might she choose to revisit an incident already profiled in the original series—the Second Quarter Quell?
2. Since A. the first Trilogy was inspired by the the reality TV boom coinciding with the war in Iraq and portrayed an oligarchic conflation of celebrity competition and cultural suppression and B. Ballad was written during Trump's first presidency and told a story about the young formation of a future oligarchic dictator, C. what from the past 4 years of democratic collapse and global pandemic will be fueling what Collins chooses to depict in this new story-bridging novel?

I never questioned the book would be astute, gripping, unflinching, and devastating. It is.
But I'm even more struck by what a unique position this book holds with the saga. The gap between the events of the Trilogy and Ballad are so vast that it's a really a compare/contrast reading experience; the juxtaposition is revelatory and brutal. And in Katniss's books, you learn early on that absolutely anything could happen, so you are swung into continual unknowns right along with Katniss.

But with Sunrise, any reader who has spent time with the other books knows almost everything about what the ending will be. What we don't know is what will happen on the way, or even more importantly, the significance of what occurs. Fascinatingly, knowing the outcomes makes this book the saddest of the series but also the most survivable. Unlike the Trilogy, you can't really hold out much hope because the ending is known. Unlike Ballad—following young Coriolanus Snow—reading Sunrise means already having an emotional bond with Haymitch and grieving for the endings you see coming before he does.

The genius of what Collins chose to illustrate with Sunrise—the insidious role propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation play in creating a populace ready to submit to dictatorial dominance—is that she's able to use what we know to show how we've already been manipulated by the Capitol's version of events. At the same time, because (this is not a spoiler) you have every good reason to expect at least 47 children's deaths in this book, it's even more devastating to meet new characters. The novel, like all of Collins' writing, is still packed full of surprises, but if you've read the previous 4 books in publication order, you know more about Panem than any protagonist we've followed til now. That means we as readers cannot delude ourself into thinking it will be okay, any more than can the characters. This makes it all the more painful, but also provides a framework to understand what is coming and not be hit out of the blue with the realities this storywrold depicts. Because you already know, you can prepare yourself.

Which is another major difference in reading this 5th book; reading the Trilogy in the late 00's, it was very much a critical dystopia offering a warning to USAmerican culture. Reading Ballad in 2020, it was very much a warning about the kinds of experiences and beliefs that make people trust hate and violence more than each other. But reading Sunrise in March 2025, the fictional distance is just a matter of style; we are reading about now, not warnings about where we are headed. Details are different, but the dynamics are not. This is a much scarier reading experience than the "be careful, this could be us one day" warning of the series' beginning 17 years ago.

Thematic spoilers: [spoilers removed]

The result is a story about the cost of not giving up on the truth in a society that enforces lies. Sunrise, while not lacking in hope, is not about inspiring change; it validates rage. It's about making good trouble, even if you know you might not live to see the change.

Suzanne. Collins.



Post-post-reading thought: [spoilers removed]
]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins 0439023483 Kj 5 4.34 2008
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Kj
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/14
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: favorites, seattle-school-of-theology, research, taught, own-digital, own-it
review:
Katniss' pragmatic, unsentimental survivalism got me through my last months of grad school, my last months before moving to the UK, the last months of my Phd, and then, through the shit show prolegomena that was 2016-2020.
]]> 50920644
Rex Vale clings to routine to keep loneliness at bay: honing his muscular body, perfecting his recipes, and making custom furniture. Rex has lived in Holiday for years, but his shyness and imposing size have kept him from connecting with people.

When the two men meet, their chemistry is explosive, but Rex fears Daniel will be another in a long line of people to leave him, and Daniel has learned that letting anyone in can be a fatal weakness. Just as they begin to break down the walls keeping them apart, Daniel is called home to Philadelphia, where he discovers a secret that changes the way he understands everything.]]> Roan Parrish Kj 3 queer-ye
My main issue is that a dramatic question was never really introduced. The first 2/3 of the book is just scene after scene without a clear driving anything. The scenes are generally nice, but without knowing what they were adding up to or were in response to, in terms of character, it was hard to feel invested. The third act finally introduces some tension and conflict that, for me, had not been sufficiently seeded beforehand for this to feel like climax and resolution rather than "this could have come into the story a lot sooner."

But adding complication to the lack of dramatic question is that somehow, a lot of the early scenes gave me the impression that this was a speculative fiction novel. I was drawing together clues towards all kinds of possibilities—time travel, memory erasure, dual timeline characters, etc. So by the time I figured out this was just contemporary fiction, it felt both disorienting and a kind of disappointing. Not sure if some of the series cover art put me in mind of post-apocalypse, but my genre misapprehension was primarily due to story elements: characters described with similar appearance but different age, similar smells, something the protagonist can't quite place. And the fact that the romantic interest is so instantly determined, protective, and seemingly all-knowing about the protagonist, I read it as someone who has foreknowledge (or past experience) of this relationship.

I don't think most readers will misread what I did, but while I enjoyed most of my time spent with this story and this couple, our sole POV character annoyingly hit a lot of archetypal traits of the white cis-het guy raised with patriarchal gender roles who performs helplessness so that their female partner will mother them and take care of every single thing related to the home—the "you're so much better at loading the dishwasher than I am"—kind of thing. We're meant to understand that he's been so paycheck-to-paycheck and solo that he's never learned how to use a toaster, but the fact that his love interest, Rex, is so unceasingly selfless and giving in the face of Daniel's constant taking of everything without offering anything, did not feel realistic to either of their ages or backgrounds. The fact that it took so long for the story to acknowledge this as something Daniel needed to learn, just made Rex seem like someone with no self regard or boundaries.

All that said, if one of my libraries ever acquires the rest of the audiobooks, I'll probably continue with the series. 4 times out of 5, Roan Parrish's stories are a home run. ]]> 3.50 2015
author: Roan Parrish
name: Kj
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: queer-ye
review:
Mixed bag. When I enjoy Roan Parrish' writing, it really hits. When it misses, it's never too far off. This one just missed the mark for me, but I can't tell if it's the book's fault or mine.

My main issue is that a dramatic question was never really introduced. The first 2/3 of the book is just scene after scene without a clear driving anything. The scenes are generally nice, but without knowing what they were adding up to or were in response to, in terms of character, it was hard to feel invested. The third act finally introduces some tension and conflict that, for me, had not been sufficiently seeded beforehand for this to feel like climax and resolution rather than "this could have come into the story a lot sooner."

But adding complication to the lack of dramatic question is that somehow, a lot of the early scenes gave me the impression that this was a speculative fiction novel. I was drawing together clues towards all kinds of possibilities—time travel, memory erasure, dual timeline characters, etc. So by the time I figured out this was just contemporary fiction, it felt both disorienting and a kind of disappointing. Not sure if some of the series cover art put me in mind of post-apocalypse, but my genre misapprehension was primarily due to story elements: characters described with similar appearance but different age, similar smells, something the protagonist can't quite place. And the fact that the romantic interest is so instantly determined, protective, and seemingly all-knowing about the protagonist, I read it as someone who has foreknowledge (or past experience) of this relationship.

I don't think most readers will misread what I did, but while I enjoyed most of my time spent with this story and this couple, our sole POV character annoyingly hit a lot of archetypal traits of the white cis-het guy raised with patriarchal gender roles who performs helplessness so that their female partner will mother them and take care of every single thing related to the home—the "you're so much better at loading the dishwasher than I am"—kind of thing. We're meant to understand that he's been so paycheck-to-paycheck and solo that he's never learned how to use a toaster, but the fact that his love interest, Rex, is so unceasingly selfless and giving in the face of Daniel's constant taking of everything without offering anything, did not feel realistic to either of their ages or backgrounds. The fact that it took so long for the story to acknowledge this as something Daniel needed to learn, just made Rex seem like someone with no self regard or boundaries.

All that said, if one of my libraries ever acquires the rest of the audiobooks, I'll probably continue with the series. 4 times out of 5, Roan Parrish's stories are a home run.
]]> 29771589
"Bringing together copious, diverse and sometimes dissonant references (spanning Hasidic masters, George Eliot, Zizek and Beckett, among others), Zornberg gives a new tour of the life of Moses."—Clemence Boulouque, New York Times Book Review

“For those wishing to engage the legacy of Moses more deeply, this is a must-read.”�� Publishers Weekly, S tarred Review

No figure looms larger in Jewish culture than Moses, and few have stories more enigmatic. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, acclaimed for her many books on Jewish thought, turns her attention to Moses in this remarkably rich, evocative book.
��
Drawing on a broad range of sources—literary as well as psychoanalytic, a wealth of classical Jewish texts alongside George Eliot, W. G. Sebald, and Werner Herzog—Zornberg offers a vivid and original portrait of the biblical Moses. Moses's vexing personality, his uncertain origins, and his turbulent relations with his own people are acutely explored by Zornberg, who sees this story, told and retold, as crucial not only to the biblical past but also to the future of Jewish history.

About Jewish ��

Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present.

In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.

More praise for Jewish

"Excellent."��–New York Times

"Exemplary."��–Wall Street Journal

"Distinguished."��–New Yorker

"Superb."��–The Guardian]]> 240 Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg 0300209622 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 3.76
author: Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg
name: Kj
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 3950967
Additional notes for each story penned by Professor Albus Dumbledore will be enjoyed by Muggles and wizards alike, as the Professor muses on the morals illuminated by the tales, and reveals snippets of information about life at Hogwarts.

A uniquely magical volume, with illustrations by the author, J. K. Rowling, that will be treasured for years to come.]]> 105 J.K. Rowling 0747599874 Kj 4 4.03 2008
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Kj
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/01
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: own-it, seattle-school-of-theology, taught, research
review:
I was surprised, finally sitting down with Rowling's extra-textual contrbution to the Wizarding World (before Pottermore, that is), to discover an absolute gem. Though very short, just 5 tales plus notes, as an offering of wizarding world folktales ostensibly documented by a 17th century wizard, then translated by Hermione Granger and annotated with exegetical notes by Albus Dumbledore, 'Tales from Beedle the Bard' is Rowling's commentary on a midrash of her own scripture. And this concise wizarding midrash confirms what I've long felt--that it is character and world-building, rather than narrative, which Rowling does best. In five short tales, Rowling introduces and expands new wizarding histories, philosophies, and personalities with precision and simplicity-- qualities often lost in the inflated latter texts of the Harry Potter series. But just as compelling and enjoyable are the way she employs Dumbledore as interpeter and apologist for the origins and meanings of how these (fictional) stories of communal memory have formed wizarding identity. (I was also very appreciative to finally receive an explanation of what the term 'warlock' means in a reality where 'witch' and 'wizard' appear to denote gender rather than craft). If the creativity, ambiguity, and organic quality of these tales and their imagined commentary are any indication of what Rowling's non-Potter/Hogwarts wizarding world narratives such as the upcoming 'Fantastic Beasts' film and 'Cursed Child' stage drama will be like, then I am ready to be impressed.
]]> 25770440
So how did products containing absurdly inexpensive ingredients become multibillion dollar industries and international brand icons, while also having a devastating impact on public health?

In Soda Politics, Dr. Marion Nestle answers this question by detailing all of the ways that the soft drink industry works overtime to make drinking soda as common and accepted as drinking water, for adults and children. Dr. Nestle, a renowned food and nutrition policy expert and public health advocate, shows how sodas are principally miracles of advertising; Coca-Cola and PepsiCo spend billions of dollars each year to promote their sale to children, minorities, and low-income populations, in developing as well as industrialized nations. And once they have stimulated that demand, they leave no stone unturned to protect profits. That includes lobbying to prevent any measures that would discourage soda sales, strategically donating money to health organizations and researchers who can make the science about sodas appear confusing, and engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities to create goodwill and silence critics. Soda Politics follows the money trail wherever it leads, revealing how hard Big Soda works to sell as much of their products as possible to an increasingly obese world.

But Soda Politics does more than just diagnose a problem--it encourages readers to help find solutions. From Berkley to Mexico City and beyond, advocates are successfully countering the relentless marketing, promotion, and political protection of sugary drinks. And their actions are having an impact - for all of the hardball and softball tactics the soft drink industry employs to maintain the status quo, soda consumption has been flat or falling for years. Health advocacy campaigns are now the single greatest threat to soda companies' profits. Soda Politics provides readers with the tools they need to keep up pressure on Big Soda in order to build healthier and more sustainable food systems.]]> 558 Marion Nestle 0190263431 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 3.67 2015
author: Marion Nestle
name: Kj
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 62002347
Leroy has buried his attraction to the enigmatic fisherman in irritation and pointless bickering, keeping Fox at a safe distance. But with the troublesome man now living in Leroy’s house, it’s becoming impossible for Leroy to keep his true feelings hidden, or the fact that Leroy maybe isn’t so straight, after all.

Leroy hungers for something different between them. He wants more. But Leroy’s business is struggling, his newly mended relationship with his brother is at risk, Fox doesn’t plan to stay, and their mothers are lovers.

Regardless of what Leroy’s heart so desperately wants, his entire world is at stake, and nothing about a relationship with Fox Carmody was ever going to be easy.]]> Jay Hogan Kj 3 queer-ye
I really enjoyed the first book in this series. This second was a major let down.

The dialogue is rote, the dynamics melodramatic, and by the end I still wasn't sure what one of the protagonists looked like except that he was taller than the other guy. Despite inhabiting the same town (and same family, same offshore mussel farm, same homestead) this was a distant cry from the genuine sharpness and warmth of book 1. The stakes, when they were high, lasted about a quarter of a chapter and the main story revolved around very solvable issues that required conversations that took volumes to occur, if they ever did. And I really don't buy a story about divorce where the ex-spouse is treated by both author and characters as a singularly bad, selfish, monster baby person. It's unrealistic and does more to make our main cast sound like dualistic, judgmental assholes than making the ex-spouse believably horrendous.

Also, the brother who we got to know so well in book 1 appears here as an unforgivably selfish and hateful jerk, unrecognizable from his original incarnation, except that his new characterization serves as a story obstacle for our new protagonist. And the main love story, which had the makings of something vulnerable and visceral, felt like generic filler between sex scenes. (Also, while book 1 had some quality chuckles, mostly due to Judah's brattiness, book 2 committed the egregious offense of regularly describing characters laughing and joking but never saying anything remotely humorous.)

I might give book 3 a shot to see if moving on to other characters can revive what worked in book 1, but I am pretty bummed about how long and increasingly unconvincing book 2 was.]]> 4.17 2021
author: Jay Hogan
name: Kj
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: queer-ye
review:
2.5

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. This second was a major let down.

The dialogue is rote, the dynamics melodramatic, and by the end I still wasn't sure what one of the protagonists looked like except that he was taller than the other guy. Despite inhabiting the same town (and same family, same offshore mussel farm, same homestead) this was a distant cry from the genuine sharpness and warmth of book 1. The stakes, when they were high, lasted about a quarter of a chapter and the main story revolved around very solvable issues that required conversations that took volumes to occur, if they ever did. And I really don't buy a story about divorce where the ex-spouse is treated by both author and characters as a singularly bad, selfish, monster baby person. It's unrealistic and does more to make our main cast sound like dualistic, judgmental assholes than making the ex-spouse believably horrendous.

Also, the brother who we got to know so well in book 1 appears here as an unforgivably selfish and hateful jerk, unrecognizable from his original incarnation, except that his new characterization serves as a story obstacle for our new protagonist. And the main love story, which had the makings of something vulnerable and visceral, felt like generic filler between sex scenes. (Also, while book 1 had some quality chuckles, mostly due to Judah's brattiness, book 2 committed the egregious offense of regularly describing characters laughing and joking but never saying anything remotely humorous.)

I might give book 3 a shot to see if moving on to other characters can revive what worked in book 1, but I am pretty bummed about how long and increasingly unconvincing book 2 was.
]]> 220552309 An electrifying, deeply moving novel about the love story between two men in Puritan New England

Cana, a utopian vision of 18th-century Puritan New England. To the outside world, Reverend Nathaniel Whitfield and his family stand as godly pillars of their small-town community, drawing Christians from across the New World into their fold. One such Christian, physician Arthur Lyman, discovers in the minister’s words a love so captivating it transcends language.

As the bond between these two men grows increasingly passionate, their families must contend with a tangled web of secrets, lies, and judgments that threaten to destroy them in this world and the next. And when the religious ecstasies of the Great Awakening begin to take hold, igniting a new era of zealotry, Nathaniel and Arthur search for a path out of an impossible situation, imagining a future for themselves that has no name. Their wives and children must do the same, looking beyond the known world for a new kind of wilderness, both physical and spiritual.

Set during the turbulent historical upheavals that shaped America’s destiny, and following in the tradition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter , All the World Beside reveals the very human lives beneath the surface of dogmatic belief.]]> 352 Garrard Conley 0525537341 Kj 0 to-read 4.50 2024
author: Garrard Conley
name: Kj
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 142565703 104 Clayton Joe Young Kj 4 own-it, research 4.00
author: Clayton Joe Young
name: Kj
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: own-it, research
review:
Thoughtful rumination—historical, poetic, and photographic—of Henry River Mill village, with an eye towards both nostalgia and preservation
]]> 203608442 In the gorgeous first installment of the hit Webtoon series Castle Swimmer, two young mermen reject their destinies and embark on an epic adventure full of romance and danger, featuring exclusive bonus material.

From the moment Kappa tumbles into existence on the ocean floor, his life’s purpose is already decided for him: He is the Beacon, a light to all sea creatures, and destined to fulfill their many prophesies. In high demand and under immense pressure, Kappa quickly realizes that fame and glory are small compensation for a life of predetermined self-sacrifice.

Unable to resist the call of destiny due to a magical yellow cord that appears from his chest and pulls him inexorably to any sea creatures he swims by, Kappa ultimately finds himself drawn to the Shark kingdom, where he is immediately imprisoned. The Sharks�� prophecy states that the curse maiming their people will only be lifted once their prince, Siren, kills the Beacon. But when Prince Siren decides to defy fate and help Kappa escape, Kappa realizes that there might be more to life than fulfilling endless prophesies, leading to a raucous adventure as big and unpredictable as the ocean itself—and a romance that nobody could have predicted.

Episodes 1-19 of Webtoon's Castle Swimmer Season 1 is collected in this stunning graphic novel, which also includes a never-before-seen bonus chapter featuring Kappa and Siren.]]> 272 Wendy Martin 0593835816 Kj 4 queer-ye
Looking forward to volume 2.]]> 4.48 2024
author: Wendy Martin
name: Kj
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: queer-ye
review:
Extremely charming and smile-inducing underwater adventure-in-progress. Its wry humor and extremely clear satire are as delightful the art and the creative mer-world it depicts.

Looking forward to volume 2.
]]> 60780325 Teenage baker Syd sends ripples of heartbreak through Austin’s queer community when a batch of post-being-dumped brownies turns out to be magical—and makes everyone who eats them break up.

“What’s done is done.��
Unless, of course, it was done by my brownies. Then it’s getting undone.

Syd (no pronouns, please) has always dealt with big, hard-to-talk-about things by baking. Being dumped is no different, except now Syd is baking at the Proud Muffin, a queer bakery and community space in Austin. And everyone who eats Syd’s breakup brownies . . . breaks up. Even Vin and Alec, who own the Proud Muffin. And their breakup might take the bakery down with it. Being dumped is one thing; causing ripples of queer heartbreak through the community is another. But the cute bike delivery person, Harley (he or they, check the pronoun pin, it’s probably on the messenger bag), believes Syd about the magic baking. And Harley believes Syd’s magical baking can fix things, too—one recipe at a time.]]> 1 A.R. Capetta Kj 0 to-read 3.85 2021
author: A.R. Capetta
name: Kj
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 46264206 79 Chuck Tingle Kj 0 4.10
author: Chuck Tingle
name: Kj
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read, aroace-spectrum, library-request
review:

]]> 220999765
2002. Danny arrives at Manchester University determined not to hide from the world any longer. This is the year his life will begin. He locks eyes with a handsome stranger across the hall at the Fresher's Fair. It starts with a wink and soon Danny and Guy are best friends.

2022. Now, both single for the first time in years, Danny and Guy return to the confetti-covered streets of the Gay Village for Manchester Pride. After years of shared adventures and lost dreams, Danny finally plans to share the secret he has been keeping for two decades. He has always been in love with Guy. Could this weekend be the end of a twenty-year friendship - or the start of something new and even more beautiful?]]> 448 Matt Cain 1496751922 Kj 0 to-read, library-request 3.33
author: Matt Cain
name: Kj
average rating: 3.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read, library-request
review:

]]> 212923976 Gay Bar comes a rule-breaking, sweat-soaked, genre-busting story of outlaw love.


It’s 1996, and Jeremy Atherton Lin has met the boy of his dreams �� a mumbling, starry-eyed Brit �� just as, amid a media frenzy, US Congress prepares the Defense of Marriage Act, denying same-sex couples federal rights including immigration. The pair steals away to remote forests and vast deserts, London fashion shows and Berlin sex clubs, dinner parties, back alleys, East Village hotel rooms, and San Francisco dives. Finding no other way to stay together, they shack up illicitly among unlikely allies in a “city of refuge.��


With Atherton Lin’s inimitable blend of tenderness and wicked humor, Deep House moves through the couple’s string of rented apartments while unlocking doors to a lineage of gay men who have come before �� smuggling a foreign partner through national checkpoints or going public to stand up for the right to get down in the privacy of their own homes. They include hapless criminals, sexpot bartenders, friars, pirates, government workers who subverted the system, activists who went all the way to the Supreme Court, and the celebrated artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres.


Following Gay Bar �� called “a rich tapestry�� by Vanity Fair and “an absolute tour de force�� by Maggie Nelson �� Deep House juxtaposes whispered disclosures of undocumented domesticity with courtroom drama and political stunts to explore myriad forms of intimacy while questioning the mechanisms that legitimize love. Deep House is at once a historical kaleidoscope and the innermost tale of two boyfriends who made a home in the shadows of a turbulent civil rights battle.]]> 416 Jeremy Atherton Lin 0316545791 Kj 0 4.30
author: Jeremy Atherton Lin
name: Kj
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, library-request, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 522525 Renowned social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson take a compelling look into how the brain is wired for self-justification.

Why is it so hard to say “I made a mistake”—and really believe it?

When we make mistakes, cling to outdated attitudes, or mistreat other people, we must calm the cognitive dissonance that jars our feelings of self-worth. And so, unconsciously, we create fictions that absolve us of responsibility, restoring our belief that we are smart, moral, and right—a belief that often keeps us on a course that is dumb, immoral, and wrong. Backed by years of research, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) offers a fascinating explanation of self-justification—how it works, the damage it can cause, and how we can overcome it.

This updated edition concludes with an extended discussion of how we can live with dissonance; learn from it; and perhaps, eventually, forgive ourselves.]]> 292 Carol Tavris 0151010986 Kj 0 4.01 2007
author: Carol Tavris
name: Kj
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, to-purchase, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 217387887
In this major work of social history, Baker focuses on the people of Charlottesville while tracing the paths of the far-right figures who planned and attended the rally. She tells the story of the civic leaders who debated the fate of a statue of Robert E. Lee; the Black clergy, who were divided about how to respond to the gathering threat; the university administrators and police who bungled the city's response; and the activists (including clergy, faculty, and city residents) who saw what was coming and tried to protect their community.

Baker also describes a similar event that took place a generation earlier, when a rabble rouser named John Kasper came to Charlottesville with the intention of starting a race war. Kasper was a protégée of famed poet and fascist sympathizer Ezra Pound. The story of Kasper and Pound, as well as of a Charlottesville housewife who crossed Kasper’s path, foreshadow what was to come. In Charlottesville, Baker joins these disturbing events to illustrate the fractious history of the United States and agitate the myths that have sustained us as a nation.]]> 432 Deborah Baker 164445341X Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 4.50
author: Deborah Baker
name: Kj
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 212994064
Boy moves to new city. Boy meets vampire. They kiss, then become friends. But both would like something more��

A global Webtoon phenomenon and LGBTQ+ graphic novel about friendship, love and magic.

Sébastien recently moved to supernatural Paris hoping to get away from his troubles at home and live a peaceful life learning magic. But what are you going to do when the really hot vampire you made out with last night to forget your troubles turns out to be your new neighbor?

Sébastien (a demisexual boy with “main character hair�� and a bunny named Pierre), meet Elia (a hot, supermodel, vampire neighbor and crush).

Join Elia, Sébastien and their assorted crew of wonderful friends, as they navigate the ins and outs of dating in a modern and paranormal love story.


]]> 339 Janine Janssen 0063414694 Kj 0 to-read, library-request 4.49 2025
author: Janine Janssen
name: Kj
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, library-request
review:

]]> 123314421 A singular new novel from Betty Trask Prize-winner Samantha Harvey,��Orbital��is an eloquent meditation on space and life on our planet through the eyes of six astronauts circling the earth in 24 hours


"Ravishingly beautiful."��—��Joshua Ferris,��New York Times

A slender novel of epic power,��Orbital��deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six women and men traveling through space.��Selected for one of the last space station missions of its kind before the program is dismantled, these astronauts and cosmonauts—from America, Russia, Italy, Britain, and Japan—have left their lives behind to travel at a speed of over seventeen thousand miles an hour as the earth reels below. We glimpse moments of their earthly lives through brief communications with family, their photos and talismans; we watch them whip up dehydrated meals, float in gravity-free sleep, and exercise in regimented routines to prevent atrophying muscles; we witness them form bonds that will stand between them and utter solitude. Most of all, we are with them as they behold and record their silent blue planet. Their experiences of sixteen sunrises and sunsets and the bright, blinking constellations of the galaxy are at once breathtakingly awesome and surprisingly intimate.��

Profound and contemplative,��Orbital��is a moving elegy to our environment and planet.]]> 212 Samantha Harvey 0802161553 Kj 0 to-read 3.90 2023
author: Samantha Harvey
name: Kj
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 205519733
It’s rough, though, going back to South Shields now that they all know he’s a fully paid-up pansy. It’s the last place he’s expecting to pull. But Fen’s gorgeous, with his pink-tipped hair and hipster glasses, full of the sort of courage Alfie’s never had. It should be a one-night thing, but Alfie’s never met anyone like Fen before.

Except he has. At school, when Alfie was everything he was supposed to be, and Fen was the stubborn little gay boy who wouldn’t keep his head down. And now it’s a proper mess: Fen might have slept with Alfie, but he’ll probably never forgive him, and Fen’s got all this other stuff going on anyway, with his mam and her flower shop and the life he left down south.

Alfie just wants to make it right. But how can he, when all they’ve got in common is the nowhere town they both ran away from.]]> 512 Alexis Hall 172825132X Kj 5 queer-ye
This final story in the (sometimes) loosely connected stand-alone Spires series typifies everything I love about these books. No matter what series characters we are following, whether its a writer struggling with mental health, an aspiring model from Essex, a restorer of antique books, a civil engineer, a short-order cook, a trauma surgeon, an investment banker, or someone unexpectedly stuck with a flower shop in their northern hometown, the characters' journeys and their love stories embody fragile tenderness and brave warmth.

Despite having said that Waiting for the Flood was my favorite Alexis Hall, I can no longer separate out the intricate pieces of Spires. If I can't call Pansies my new favorite, I can at least say it is the series climax—a rough and effusive celebration of risk and reconciliation, infused with passionate honesty. Maybe it really is my favorite?

As far as connecting to the previous three (or 5 or 6 depending on how you count the stories) this is the only novel where I couldn't identify any connection to previous characters or to Oxford. Thematically, though, it's 100% in tune..

I imagine readers will have varying responses to the history between the central couple, since it deals with the trauma of bullying, internalized homophobia, and patriarchal violence (both inner and outer). But I loved the way Hall weaves in what's coming so that we as the reader see the struggle before the characters do, without letting them off the hook but still leading with empathy.

Fully in love with this book.

[While the re-releases of Glitterland and Waiting for the Flood also received new audiobook recordings, For Real and Pansies are the audiobooks from the initial publication. Not sure there is much of anything missing here from what's in the new paperbacks, because both of these last two books have phenomenal audiobooks. For Pansies, the combination of Cornell Collins' narration and Alexis Hall's text was a match made in chippy heaven. Absolutely gorgeous.]]]> 4.11 2016
author: Alexis Hall
name: Kj
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: queer-ye
review:
A dizzying, enveloping cocoon of feeling.

This final story in the (sometimes) loosely connected stand-alone Spires series typifies everything I love about these books. No matter what series characters we are following, whether its a writer struggling with mental health, an aspiring model from Essex, a restorer of antique books, a civil engineer, a short-order cook, a trauma surgeon, an investment banker, or someone unexpectedly stuck with a flower shop in their northern hometown, the characters' journeys and their love stories embody fragile tenderness and brave warmth.

Despite having said that Waiting for the Flood was my favorite Alexis Hall, I can no longer separate out the intricate pieces of Spires. If I can't call Pansies my new favorite, I can at least say it is the series climax—a rough and effusive celebration of risk and reconciliation, infused with passionate honesty. Maybe it really is my favorite?

As far as connecting to the previous three (or 5 or 6 depending on how you count the stories) this is the only novel where I couldn't identify any connection to previous characters or to Oxford. Thematically, though, it's 100% in tune..

I imagine readers will have varying responses to the history between the central couple, since it deals with the trauma of bullying, internalized homophobia, and patriarchal violence (both inner and outer). But I loved the way Hall weaves in what's coming so that we as the reader see the struggle before the characters do, without letting them off the hook but still leading with empathy.

Fully in love with this book.

[While the re-releases of Glitterland and Waiting for the Flood also received new audiobook recordings, For Real and Pansies are the audiobooks from the initial publication. Not sure there is much of anything missing here from what's in the new paperbacks, because both of these last two books have phenomenal audiobooks. For Pansies, the combination of Cornell Collins' narration and Alexis Hall's text was a match made in chippy heaven. Absolutely gorgeous.]
]]> 205008333 176 Honami Shirono 1975393961 Kj 4
Overall, I really enjoyed this three-volume story. I'm unsure why the extra scenes we get throughout are about two side characters we barely know (unless they are cameos from another series?).
I also can't decide if what's left open-ended is a mark of the story's strength or something else.

Regardless of my ambiguous feelings about the final volume, I highly recommend the whole thing.

]]> 4.30 2023
author: Honami Shirono
name: Kj
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: aroace-spectrum, own-it, read-with-friends
review:
Surprised by how this played out. Not sure what to make of the ways it shows restraint or its brief, hard-swing into melodrama.

Overall, I really enjoyed this three-volume story. I'm unsure why the extra scenes we get throughout are about two side characters we barely know (unless they are cameos from another series?).
I also can't decide if what's left open-ended is a mark of the story's strength or something else.

Regardless of my ambiguous feelings about the final volume, I highly recommend the whole thing.


]]> 229093104
Joel’s not an admirer of the police, but DS Fowler has the most irresistible handwriting he’s ever seen. If the policeman’s tests let him spend time unnerving the handsome copper, why not play along?

But when Joel looks at a powerful man's handwriting and sees a murderer, the policeman and the graphologist are plunged into deadly danger. Their enemy will protect himself at any cost--unless the sparring pair can come together to prove his guilt and save each other.]]> K.J. Charles 1912688247 Kj 0 to-read, library-request 4.50 2025
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: to-read, library-request
review:

]]> 138417390 0 W. A. & Andrew Porter Mozart Kj 2 3.50
author: W. A. & Andrew Porter Mozart
name: Kj
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 197036064 512 Alexis Hall 172825129X Kj 4 queer-ye, own-digital
Hypnotic and heartfelt.

I am surprised by how affecting and effective I found this story. It's not surprising that I'd massively appreciate and enjoy a book by Alexis Hall; that's the norm. What's surprising to me is that I would be so taken with a story that is told almost entirely through sex. Not only is that unusual storytelling for Alexis Hall (whose books in recent years have gone almost entirely closed door), but it's unusual storytelling for me to not just connect with, but find perfect for the story it is telling.

I'm really only about a year and a half into exploring the romance genre, but it doesn't take long to notice some of the most common patterns (it's hard enough to avoid being hit in the head by all the pre-labeled trope advertisements). Generally, I've caught on that your central couple will have their first...climactic moment at the book's halfway mark, followed shortly by another "special together time" a chapter or two later, then there will be a few bedroom scenes simply summarized in after-the-fact mentions, then a final celebratory bonk mixed into the denouement. For Real blows that pattern away (yes, pun).

Admittedly, I haven't read any long-form erotica, so maybe For Real follows some more common structures in that genre, but I was struck throughout at how Hall manages to convey all the nuances of intimacy, vulnerability, trust, and growth that are the hallmarks of Hall's work, but achieves that through 85% sex and only 15% conversations and scenes with clothes on and/or other characters. Just as the central couple are (for sometimes great and sometimes unhelpful reasons) doing all their learning about each other through sex—putting off life disclosures and personal revelations til it seems almost too late—we too as readers get to know these characters through their sexual expression and only find out some of their wider world (and some corners of their inner worlds) at the story's third act. Significantly, at least for me, is that I didn't even notice the lack of those wider worlds until they were brought into focus. Hall's story structuring, characterization, and capturing of interpersonal dynamics is so finely tuned and so meaningfully rendered that the sex really is the storytelling. I'm sure there's a number of authors who do this well, but this was the first time I've seen it done and I found it truthful and accessible, not unrealistic or over-saturated.

As I continue toward the 4th book in this decade-plus old series, it makes me wonder why Hall turned away from the candid passion of the Spires series. Feels like a perfect pairing for the wit, intelligence, and fragile beauty consistently conveyed in Hall's novels.


[Stupendous audiobook narration by John Hartley and Paul Berton]]]> 4.06 2015
author: Alexis Hall
name: Kj
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: queer-ye, own-digital
review:
4.5

Hypnotic and heartfelt.

I am surprised by how affecting and effective I found this story. It's not surprising that I'd massively appreciate and enjoy a book by Alexis Hall; that's the norm. What's surprising to me is that I would be so taken with a story that is told almost entirely through sex. Not only is that unusual storytelling for Alexis Hall (whose books in recent years have gone almost entirely closed door), but it's unusual storytelling for me to not just connect with, but find perfect for the story it is telling.

I'm really only about a year and a half into exploring the romance genre, but it doesn't take long to notice some of the most common patterns (it's hard enough to avoid being hit in the head by all the pre-labeled trope advertisements). Generally, I've caught on that your central couple will have their first...climactic moment at the book's halfway mark, followed shortly by another "special together time" a chapter or two later, then there will be a few bedroom scenes simply summarized in after-the-fact mentions, then a final celebratory bonk mixed into the denouement. For Real blows that pattern away (yes, pun).

Admittedly, I haven't read any long-form erotica, so maybe For Real follows some more common structures in that genre, but I was struck throughout at how Hall manages to convey all the nuances of intimacy, vulnerability, trust, and growth that are the hallmarks of Hall's work, but achieves that through 85% sex and only 15% conversations and scenes with clothes on and/or other characters. Just as the central couple are (for sometimes great and sometimes unhelpful reasons) doing all their learning about each other through sex—putting off life disclosures and personal revelations til it seems almost too late—we too as readers get to know these characters through their sexual expression and only find out some of their wider world (and some corners of their inner worlds) at the story's third act. Significantly, at least for me, is that I didn't even notice the lack of those wider worlds until they were brought into focus. Hall's story structuring, characterization, and capturing of interpersonal dynamics is so finely tuned and so meaningfully rendered that the sex really is the storytelling. I'm sure there's a number of authors who do this well, but this was the first time I've seen it done and I found it truthful and accessible, not unrealistic or over-saturated.

As I continue toward the 4th book in this decade-plus old series, it makes me wonder why Hall turned away from the candid passion of the Spires series. Feels like a perfect pairing for the wit, intelligence, and fragile beauty consistently conveyed in Hall's novels.


[Stupendous audiobook narration by John Hartley and Paul Berton]
]]> 67700 The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander’s life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas was sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but found freedom with Alexander after the Macedon army conquered his homeland.
Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a sometimes-mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper. After Alexander’s mysterious death, we are left wondering if this Persian boy understood the great warrior and his ambitions better than anyone.]]> 420 Mary Renault 0394751019 Kj 0 own-it, currently-reading 4.18 1972
author: Mary Renault
name: Kj
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1972
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: own-it, currently-reading
review:

]]> 59456542 144 Honami Shirono 1975338960 Kj 4
Though the term asexual is used here to represent both asexuality and aromanticism, (what would generally be differentiated as two orientations, not just the one), I'm really moved by the growing dynamic between this asexual woman and her gay husband. Although, I'm hoping the next volumes will introduce some of the whys and hows of these two seemingly almost strangers deciding to commit to a marriage that is, for both, essentially a queer platonic partnership, but not founded on a pre-existing friendship. Also curious how meta this will get within its adjacent Boys Love genre, or if the outcome will be more realistic than what readers (and the characters) might hope for.]]> 4.18 2020
author: Honami Shirono
name: Kj
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: aroace-spectrum, own-it, queer-ye, read-with-friends
review:
This is probably my first manga, so there was some slight genre calibrating as well as cultural translation for me here, but I'm already very invested in these two characters and have vol 2 on deck.

Though the term asexual is used here to represent both asexuality and aromanticism, (what would generally be differentiated as two orientations, not just the one), I'm really moved by the growing dynamic between this asexual woman and her gay husband. Although, I'm hoping the next volumes will introduce some of the whys and hows of these two seemingly almost strangers deciding to commit to a marriage that is, for both, essentially a queer platonic partnership, but not founded on a pre-existing friendship. Also curious how meta this will get within its adjacent Boys Love genre, or if the outcome will be more realistic than what readers (and the characters) might hope for.
]]> 61991440 144 Honami Shirono 1975361024 Kj 4
Appreciated this second volume even more, especially as it addresses many of the questions I had from volume one, but also for its continuation of its exploration of love and belonging from a uniquely complex queered perspective. There's still plenty of cultural and context translation going on for me here, but the points of resonance were frequent and surprising in their impact.

Looking forward to Volume 3.
]]> 4.36 2022
author: Honami Shirono
name: Kj
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: own-it, aroace-spectrum, queer-ye, read-with-friends
review:
Oof, nothing like having a very simple story read yourself back to you.

Appreciated this second volume even more, especially as it addresses many of the questions I had from volume one, but also for its continuation of its exploration of love and belonging from a uniquely complex queered perspective. There's still plenty of cultural and context translation going on for me here, but the points of resonance were frequent and surprising in their impact.

Looking forward to Volume 3.

]]> 210864316 560 Homer 022660442X Kj 0 to-read 4.42 -800
author: Homer
name: Kj
average rating: 4.42
book published: -800
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223263228 "An astonishing novel of discovery, heartache, and redemption. Costello writes unapologetically about surviving in a broken world against all odds. Truly unforgettable.�� -Erin Entrada Kelly, two-time Newbery Medalist and National Book Award Finalist

Self-styled “beautiful boy�� Toby Ryerson dreams in stardust but lives in the dirt. Haunted by the specter of his mom’s overdose, he itches for a life of fun and fabulosity far from the MAGA hats of his backwoods Adirondack town. The only problem: his older brother Jimmy’s plans to polish him into a spotless “Disney gay�� with college, career, and husband. Toby knows that Jimmy didn’t sacrifice everything to raise him just so he can waste his life on men and partying like Mom did. But why can’t Jimmy see that he is their mother’s son?

When Toby outs the boy who broke his heart in a fit of rage, the web of lies he’s spun to manage Jimmy’s expectations quickly unravels. A brutal beating leads to a campaign of cyberbullying, culminating in even greater disaster.

Worse: Toby knows it’s all his own fault.

Enter Gabe, a sexy stranger from Mom’s past who seduces Toby with the keys to the Big Apple. But when Toby’s dreams of a fabulous life in the city quickly turn into a nightmare, will Jimmy's love be enough to save him, or will he end up just like Mom?

AN UGLY WORLD FOR BEAUTIFUL BOYS is a gritty and harrowing queer coming-of-age novel as well as a love story between two mismatched brothers coping with the burden of secrets and a legacy of shame.


“Rob Costello has crafted an exquisitely haunting, gorgeously-written portrait of survival and resilience with An Ugly World for Beautiful Boys. This story is necessary, especially for anyone who has ever felt alone or misunderstood. All too real, it is at once painful and gritty, yet brimming with hope and the profound power of love and understanding. Toby’s story will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.��

- Amber Smith, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be and The Way I Am Now


“Toby's coming-of-age trainwreck reads like the tensest of thrillers and hurts like your worst teenage memory. It's gorgeously written, ultimately healing, and absolutely unforgettable."

-Nancy Werlin, National Book Award Finalist for The Rules of Survival


"Gritty, lyrical, and refreshingly honest, Costello's debut novel pulses with realness, as raw and resilient as its oh-so-human protagonist. A triumph.��

-Nora Shalaway Carpenter, award-winning author of Fault Lines & The Edge of Anything


"If you’re looking for a raw, unfiltered journey into the heart of a difficult and complex queer experience, An Ugly World for Beautiful Boys is a must-read. Rob Costello has crafted an unflinching coming-of-age story that dives headfirst into the chaos of self-discovery, loss, and redemption through Toby Ryerson: an imperfect, impulsive young man who is trying to survive when everything falls apart. An unforgettable debut novel."

-Christopher Barzak, author of Stonewall Honor winning novel, Wonders of the Invisible World


"This novel shines in its exploration of the various ways masculinity manifests in the lives of young men, highlighting the damaging effects of toxic masculinity in every scenario. Costello has created multi-dimensional characters who are raw, imperfect, and utterly human. Readers will find themselves swept up in Toby’s joy, only to feel frustration when he makes mistakes�� An Ugly World for Beautiful Boys is a deeply moving novel about finding self-acceptance and communal joy amidst life’s messiness."

-Samantha Hui, Independent Book Review]]> 376 Rob Costello 1590217969 Kj 0 to-read, library-request 5.00
author: Rob Costello
name: Kj
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read, library-request
review:

]]> 211166242
Shamichael Hallman argues that the public library may be our best hope for bridging these divides and creating strong, inclusive communities. While public libraries have long been thought of as a place for a select few, increasingly they are playing an essential role in building social cohesion, promoting civic renewal, and advancing the ideals of a healthy democracy. Many are reimagining themselves in new and innovative ways, actively reaching out to the communities they serve.

Today, libraries are becoming essential institutions for repairing society. Libraries have a unique opportunity to bridge socioeconomic divides and rebuild trust. But in order to do so, they must be truly welcoming to all. They and their communities must work collaboratively to bridge socioeconomic divides through innovative and productive partnerships.

Drawing from his experience at the Memphis Public Library and his extensive research and interviews across the country, Hallman presents a rich argument for seeing libraries as one of the nation’s greatest assets. He includes examples from libraries large and small--such as the Iowa’s North Liberty Library’s Lighthouse in the Library program to bring people together to discuss important topics in a safe and supportive space, to Cambridge Cooks, an initiative of the Cambridge MA Public Library that fosters social connection by bringing people together over shared interest in food.

As an institution that is increasingly under attack for creating a place where diverse audiences can see themselves, public libraries are under more scrutiny than ever. Meet Me at the Library offers us a revealing look at one of our most important civic institutions and the social and civic impact they must play if we are to heal our divided nation.]]> 204 Shamichael Hallman 1642833193 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 4.04
author: Shamichael Hallman
name: Kj
average rating: 4.04
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 74872296
From the author of The Genius of Birds and The Bird Way , a brilliant scientific investigation into owls—the most elusive of birds—and why they exert such a hold on human imagination.

For millennia, owls have captivated and intrigued us. Our fascination with these mysterious birds was first documented more than thirty thousand years ago in the Chauvet Cave paintings in southern France. With their forward gaze and quiet flight, owls are often a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and foresight. But what does an owl really know? And what do we really know about owls? Though our fascination goes back centuries, scientists have only recently begun to understand in deep detail the complex nature of these extraordinary birds. Some two hundred sixty species of owls exist today, and they reside on every continent except Antarctica, but they are far more difficult to find and study than other birds because they are cryptic, camouflaged, and mostly active in the dark of night.

Jennifer Ackerman illuminates the rich biology and natural history of these birds and reveals remarkable new scientific discoveries about their brains and behavior. She joins scientists in the field and explores how researchers are using modern technology and tools to learn how owls communicate, hunt, court, mate, raise their young, and move about from season to season. We now know that the hoots, squawks, and chitters of owls follow sophisticated and complex rules, allowing them to express not just their needs and desires but their individuality and identity. Owls duet. They migrate. They hoard their prey. Some live in underground burrows; some roost in large groups; some dine on black widows and scorpions.

Ackerman brings this research alive with her own personal field observations about owls and dives deep into why these birds beguile us. What an Owl Knows is an awe-inspiring exploration of owls across the globe and through human history, and a spellbinding account of their astonishing hunting skills, communication, and sensory prowess. By providing extraordinary new insights into the science of owls, What an Owl Knows pulls back the curtain on the nature of the world’s most enigmatic group of birds.]]> 351 Jennifer Ackerman 0593298896 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 4.26 2023
author: Jennifer Ackerman
name: Kj
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 1155398 240 Anne Brontë 0812967135 Kj 4 own-it, read-with-friends
I think it's likely this book's impact will go right over the heads or under the noses of most readers today; it almost happened to me at this second read. It is so very simple in plot, so calm in tone, and so very short. And while I connected significantly with our narrating protagonist and her humble desires and dreams, when it was over, I was sort of shocked at how simple it all was.

Then I gave it a beat and realized its quiet cleverness. This is an 1848 novel that absorbs the reader in rooting for the very simple heart-hopes of a working middle class governess while leading you to firmly and easily reject the attitudes and actions of the wealthy and upper class. It's literally a story where a governess begrudges an invitation to a baronet's home but, out of the goodness of her own heart, agrees to visit for three days, rejecting the pleas for the visit to last months. How many novels at the time have 23-year-old governesses giving pity-visits to titled women at country estates?

All I remember from my first read nearly twenty years ago is that I was surprised and moved by the simple, happy ending. I was just as moved this time.

Anne Brontë, you're one of my favorite Brontës :)]]> 3.75 1847
author: Anne Brontë
name: Kj
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1847
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: own-it, read-with-friends
review:
2025 re-read:

I think it's likely this book's impact will go right over the heads or under the noses of most readers today; it almost happened to me at this second read. It is so very simple in plot, so calm in tone, and so very short. And while I connected significantly with our narrating protagonist and her humble desires and dreams, when it was over, I was sort of shocked at how simple it all was.

Then I gave it a beat and realized its quiet cleverness. This is an 1848 novel that absorbs the reader in rooting for the very simple heart-hopes of a working middle class governess while leading you to firmly and easily reject the attitudes and actions of the wealthy and upper class. It's literally a story where a governess begrudges an invitation to a baronet's home but, out of the goodness of her own heart, agrees to visit for three days, rejecting the pleas for the visit to last months. How many novels at the time have 23-year-old governesses giving pity-visits to titled women at country estates?

All I remember from my first read nearly twenty years ago is that I was surprised and moved by the simple, happy ending. I was just as moved this time.

Anne Brontë, you're one of my favorite Brontës :)
]]> 2476836
It tells the story of the estranged wife of a dissolute rake, desperate to protect her son from his destructive influence, in full flight from a shocking world of debauchery and cruelty. Drawing on her first-hand experiences with her brother Branwell, Bronte's novel scandalized contemporary readers and still retains its power to shock today.

The new introduction by Josephine McDonagh sheds light on the intellectual and cultural context of the novel, its complex narrative structure, and the contemporary moral and medical debates about alcohol and the body with which the novel engages. Based on the authoritative Clarendon text, the book has an improved chronology, an up-to-date bibliography, and many informative notes.]]> 441 Anne Brontë 0199207550 Kj 3 own-it, to-revisit 4.06 1848
author: Anne Brontë
name: Kj
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1848
rating: 3
read at: 2010/10/17
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: own-it, to-revisit
review:

]]> 427949
Once again, in addition to all the headshots of all the actors who appeared in Playbill , the book includes photos of producers, writers, designers, stage managers, stagehands and musicians. The goal is to include as many of the faces who worked on Broadway as possible. As a special treat, the Yearbook includes photos of opening night curtain calls from many shows.

This is a book no Broadway buff will want to be without.]]> 512 Robert Viagas 155783718X Kj 0 own-it 4.08 2005
author: Robert Viagas
name: Kj
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at: 2006/01/01
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: own-it
review:

]]> 195034827 292 James Alistair Henry 1916678017 Kj 0 to-read 3.86 2025
author: James Alistair Henry
name: Kj
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 142554
After Alexander’s death in 323 B.C .his only direct heirs were two unborn sons and a simpleton half-brother. Every long-simmering faction exploded into the vacuum of power. Wives, distant relatives, and generals all vied for the loyalty of the increasingly undisciplined Macedonian army. Most failed and were killed in the attempt. For no one possessed the leadership to keep the great empire from crumbling. But Alexander’s legend endured to spread into worlds he had seen only in dreams.]]> 352 Mary Renault 0375714197 Kj 0 to-read, own-it 3.97 1981
author: Mary Renault
name: Kj
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1981
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read, own-it
review:

]]> 203553917 164 Alexis Hall Kj 4 queer-ye Waiting for the Flood, the story that precedes and contains Chasing the Light.

[2025 audiobook re-listen]
"Waiting for the Flood might be my favorite work from Alexis Hall.

The structure is still odd but doesn't feel as imbalanced as it did in my first read when I wasn't prepped for it. It's one story told in three separate parts (as in distinct pieces with their own titles, not just sections of chapters). As it follows two exes finding their way into new relationships (with others and with each other), the three parts refract back to one another while POVs change and time moves forward, and even though I wish the opening Waiting for the Flood could have lingered a bit longer, it really does continue into Chasing the Light and then to the long coda story "Aftermath." We get to experience both characters from the perspective of the other, while still ultimately knowing more about the whole story from our reader vantage point than either character. I particularly liked the tiny, throw away detail of how the two men differently identify the type of tree that stands over their formerly-shared house.

I love Edwin and Adam so much, and love Edwin even more after knowing what things must have been like with Marius, but I also love that Marius doesn't get let off the hook but also doesn't get left entirely in his self-destructive rut.

[I could listen to Will Watt voice these characters another twenty times over and I probably will.]


[2024 first audiobook read]
Another re-release/compilation from Alexis Hall's decade-ish old Spires series, and while I absolutely loved it, I felt more aware of the multiple pieces here than in Glitterland. And that makes sense, because it's actually two novellas and a long epilogue. But I was caught off guard when the titular story ended less than halfway through the book and turned into a sequel novella, Chasing the Light, which was longer than the first, (though with the epilogue that follows "Chasing," maybe they come out even). As a whole it all works, but right when I thought Waiting for the Flood was reaching Act 11, it the story ended and switched POV to other characters in their own story. If I'd had the physical book instead of the audiobook,* I would likely have realized and re-calibrated my expectations sooner, but I was sad to leave Edwin and Adam so quickly.

But overall, I loved this, especially the depiction of Edwin's word wrestling through and around his fluency disorder, as well as the way it seems his and Adam's relationship will be a Grumpy/Sunshine story but is really more like Sunshine and Sunlight. And I did appreciate the way that stepping away into Marius's story brought new context to Edwin's that we as readers get to know, but that Edwin doesn't have to in order for the two of them to find some healing/move forward.

Excited for the next re-release/compilation in this series later this year.

[Another 5 star audiobook experience from Will Watt.]]]> 4.04
author: Alexis Hall
name: Kj
average rating: 4.04
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: queer-ye
review:
reviews initially from Waiting for the Flood, the story that precedes and contains Chasing the Light.

[2025 audiobook re-listen]
"Waiting for the Flood might be my favorite work from Alexis Hall.

The structure is still odd but doesn't feel as imbalanced as it did in my first read when I wasn't prepped for it. It's one story told in three separate parts (as in distinct pieces with their own titles, not just sections of chapters). As it follows two exes finding their way into new relationships (with others and with each other), the three parts refract back to one another while POVs change and time moves forward, and even though I wish the opening Waiting for the Flood could have lingered a bit longer, it really does continue into Chasing the Light and then to the long coda story "Aftermath." We get to experience both characters from the perspective of the other, while still ultimately knowing more about the whole story from our reader vantage point than either character. I particularly liked the tiny, throw away detail of how the two men differently identify the type of tree that stands over their formerly-shared house.

I love Edwin and Adam so much, and love Edwin even more after knowing what things must have been like with Marius, but I also love that Marius doesn't get let off the hook but also doesn't get left entirely in his self-destructive rut.

[I could listen to Will Watt voice these characters another twenty times over and I probably will.]


[2024 first audiobook read]
Another re-release/compilation from Alexis Hall's decade-ish old Spires series, and while I absolutely loved it, I felt more aware of the multiple pieces here than in Glitterland. And that makes sense, because it's actually two novellas and a long epilogue. But I was caught off guard when the titular story ended less than halfway through the book and turned into a sequel novella, Chasing the Light, which was longer than the first, (though with the epilogue that follows "Chasing," maybe they come out even). As a whole it all works, but right when I thought Waiting for the Flood was reaching Act 11, it the story ended and switched POV to other characters in their own story. If I'd had the physical book instead of the audiobook,* I would likely have realized and re-calibrated my expectations sooner, but I was sad to leave Edwin and Adam so quickly.

But overall, I loved this, especially the depiction of Edwin's word wrestling through and around his fluency disorder, as well as the way it seems his and Adam's relationship will be a Grumpy/Sunshine story but is really more like Sunshine and Sunlight. And I did appreciate the way that stepping away into Marius's story brought new context to Edwin's that we as readers get to know, but that Edwin doesn't have to in order for the two of them to find some healing/move forward.

Excited for the next re-release/compilation in this series later this year.

[Another 5 star audiobook experience from Will Watt.]
]]> 43545 639 T.H. White 0441627404 Kj 0 to-read 4.07 1958
author: T.H. White
name: Kj
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 23942369
Stephen and Crane have finally got away on their long-awaited Christmas break, along with Crane’s henchman Merrick and Jenny Saint. A promised gift is made, and a request unexpectedly and magically fulfilled��

This story comes after Flight of Magpies and is not a standalone read. Download now in any format from Smashwords.
__________
Word count: 6,280]]> 16 K.J. Charles 1311771964 Kj 4 Jackdaw.]]> 4.07 2014
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: winterval, own-digital, queer-ye
review:
A lovely Christmas epilogue to the Charm of Magpies series, with an intriguing introduction to its offspring series book 1 Jackdaw.
]]> 38216830 6 hours and 24 minutes.

Danger in the air. Lovers on the brink.

With the justiciary understaffed, a series of horrifying occult murders to be investigated, and a young student who is flying—literally—off the rails, magical law enforcer Stephen Day is under increasing stress. And his relationship with his aristocratic lover, Lord Crane, is beginning to feel the strain.

Crane chafes at the restrictions of England’s laws, and there’s a worrying development in the blood-and-sex bond he shares with Stephen. A development that makes a sensible man question if they should be together at all.

When a thief strikes at the heart of Crane’s home, a devastating loss brings his closest relationships into bitter conflict—especially his relationship with Stephen. And as old enemies, new enemies, and unexpected enemies paint the lovers into a corner, the pressure threatens to tear them apart.


Warning: Contains hot-blooded sex, cold-blooded murder, sinister magical goings-on and a lot of swearing.]]> K.J. Charles Kj 4 own-digital, queer-ye
[As always, pitch perfect and nuanced audiobook narration by Cornell Collins]]]> 4.46 2014
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: own-digital, queer-ye
review:
Delightful conclusion to the magically morbid and uncouth adventures of Lord Crane and Justicia/Practioner/Witch Stephen Day. I did anticipate a momentous final magpie revelation but was surprised by how it played out; it wasn't what I thought things were building up to but I have to respect Kj Charles for resisting tidy wish-fulfillment scenarios in exchange for things rather darker and more true.

[As always, pitch perfect and nuanced audiobook narration by Cornell Collins]
]]> 211003807 288 Adam Welz 1639735283 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 4.00
author: Adam Welz
name: Kj
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 217387942 An eye-opening, urgent call to mend the broken relationship between college and non-college grads of all races that is driving politics to the far right in the US.

Is there a single change that could simultaneously protect democracy, spur progress on climate change, enact sane gun policies, and improve our response to the next pandemic? changing the class dynamics driving American politics.

The far right manipulates class anger to undercut progressive goals and liberals often inadvertently play into their hands. In Outclassed, Joan C. Williams explains how to reverse that process by bridging the “diploma divide��, while maintaining core progressive values. She offers college-educated Americans insights into how their values reflect their lives and their lives reflect their privilege. With illuminating stories —from the Portuguese admiral who led that country’s COVID response to the lawyer who led the ACLU’s gay marriage response (and more)�� Williams demonstrates how working-class values reflect working-class lives. Then she explains how the far right connects culturally with the working-class, deftly manipulating racism and masculine anxieties to deflect attention from the ways far-right policies produce the economic conditions disadvantaging the working-class. Whether you are a concerned citizen committed to saving democracy or a politician or social justice warrior in need of messaging advice, Outclassed offers concrete guidance on how liberals can forge a multi-racial cross-class coalition capable of delivering on progressive goals.]]> 368 Joan C. Williams 1250368960 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 2.44
author: Joan C. Williams
name: Kj
average rating: 2.44
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 67697
In Alexander's childhood, his defiant character was molded into the makings of a king. His mother, Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son's loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance from the cradle. His love for the youth Hephaistion, on whom he depended for he rest of his life, taught him trust, whilst Aristotle's tutoring provoked his mind and Homer's Iliad fuelled his aspirations. He killed his first man in battle at the age of twelve and became the commander of Macedon's cavalry at eighteen - by the time his father was murdered and he acceded to the throne, Alexander's skills had grown to match his fiery ambition.]]> 375 Mary Renault 0375726829 Kj 5
Renault continues to take my breath away. It's difficult to describe the effect of her work—this book in particular—but there is an undeniable quality of yearning, restraint, and startling beauty in everything I've read by her so far, and this depiction of Alexander the Great's teenage years manages to be both profoundly romantic and intrinsically unsentimental. Renault places you into this particular corner of ancient Greece, with its ethics of war, honor, and divined destiny, and leaves you as a partial witness, always just on the edge of seeing the full picture or knowing the whole truth. The effect is palpably seductive and achingly intimate.

I'm both eager and afraid to continue with books 2 and 3, sad to leave behind the youth of Alexander and Hephaistion but also compelled to see how Renault will continue to develop their characters as bloody skirmishes are exchanged for calculated conquests.]]> 3.98 1969
author: Mary Renault
name: Kj
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1969
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/12
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: own-it, queerdom-classics, queer-ye
review:
Utterly exquisite.

Renault continues to take my breath away. It's difficult to describe the effect of her work—this book in particular—but there is an undeniable quality of yearning, restraint, and startling beauty in everything I've read by her so far, and this depiction of Alexander the Great's teenage years manages to be both profoundly romantic and intrinsically unsentimental. Renault places you into this particular corner of ancient Greece, with its ethics of war, honor, and divined destiny, and leaves you as a partial witness, always just on the edge of seeing the full picture or knowing the whole truth. The effect is palpably seductive and achingly intimate.

I'm both eager and afraid to continue with books 2 and 3, sad to leave behind the youth of Alexander and Hephaistion but also compelled to see how Renault will continue to develop their characters as bloody skirmishes are exchanged for calculated conquests.
]]> 40737717
Fearless feminist heroine Clementine Ford is a beacon of hope and inspiration to hundreds of thousands of Australian women and girls. Her incendiary first book, Fight Like A Girl , is taking the world by storm, galvanising women to demand and fight for real equality and not merely the illusion of it.

Now Boys Will Be Boys examines what needs to change for that equality to become a reality. It answers the question most asked of 'How do I raise my son to respect women and give them equal space in the world? How do I make sure he's a supporter and not a perpetrator?'

All boys start out innocent and tender, but by the time they are adolescents many of them will subscribe to a view of masculinity that is openly contemptuous of women and girls. Our world conditions boys into entitlement, privilege and power at the expense not just of girls' humanity but also of their own.

Ford demolishes the age-old assumption that superiority and aggression are natural realms for boys, and demonstrates how toxic masculinity creates a disturbingly limited and potentially dangerous idea of what it is to be a man. Crucially, Boys Will Be Boys reveals how the patriarchy we live in is as harmful to boys and men as it is to women and girls, and asks what we have to do to reverse that damage. The world needs to change and this book shows the way.]]> 384 Clementine Ford 1760637343 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 4.18 2018
author: Clementine Ford
name: Kj
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 217163697 #1��New York Times��bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a stranger’s life twenty-five years later.

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an artist herself, knows otherwise and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending their days laughing and telling stories out on a pier. There’s Joar, who never backs down from a fight; quiet and bookish Ted who is mourning his father; Ali, the daughter of a man who never stays in one place for long; and finally, there’s the artist, a boy who hoards sleeping pills and shuns attention, but who possesses an extraordinary gift that might be his ticket to a better life. These four lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be put into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. As she struggles to decide what to do with this bequest, she embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn the story of how the painting came to be. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic spirit, but happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this fresh testament to the transformative power of friendship and art.]]> 448 Fredrik Backman 1982112824 Kj 0 to-read 4.59 2025
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Kj
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 48580654
The tranquility of a cruise along the Nile was shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot through the head. She was young, stylish, and beautiful. A girl who had everything...until she lost her life.

Hercule Poirot recalled an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: "I'd like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger." Yet in this exotic setting nothing is ever quite what it seems.]]> Agatha Christie Kj 3
Not a spoiler, but the biggest surprise was when the titular murder actually takes place. Series and films tend to prep one for an Act I murder with a swift one or two more acts of sleuthing. The structure of this story is quite different.

Overall, I was rather underwhelmed. I liked Poirot, but there's so many unquestioned prejudices and bigotries, even amongst characters that are explicitly written as snobs or progressives. Turns out I'm just not very charmed by stories about rich people expressing sang froid in the presence of murder while on expensive vacations. Especially when everyone working on and running the boat are disregarded to the point of nonexistence on the page. There's a small inclusion of a steward, but this is a practically a Regency parlor novel in terms of who is visible and fully human and who is so subcaste that they aren't questioned regarding a crime, much less described as existing whatsoever. (Which is wild, since the passengers would be vastly outnumbered by crew and staff).

Also, (semi-spoiler) even for the British interwar period, people's refusal to be unsettled by multiple murders on an isolated ship just read like teenagers in a bad slasher movie watching their peers fall but never expressing an interest in leaving the cabin.

I'll probably still investigate some other Agatha Christie, but, for me, I think much of the charm and intelligence of the novel requires an uncomfortable amount of historical grace regarding racism and classism to an extent that I don't find worth extending.

[David Suchet's audiobook narration left some things to be desired. Although he's the most famous Poirot thus far, most of his character voices (including Poirot's) were difficult to understand and to differentiate. I think it's an older audiobook, and that aged style shows. I definitely missed some elements due to not reading this visually]]]> 3.90 1937
author: Agatha Christie
name: Kj
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1937
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves:
review:
Can't believe this is my first Agatha Christie read. I'm familiar with lots of adaptations, but had yet to actually engage the source.

Not a spoiler, but the biggest surprise was when the titular murder actually takes place. Series and films tend to prep one for an Act I murder with a swift one or two more acts of sleuthing. The structure of this story is quite different.

Overall, I was rather underwhelmed. I liked Poirot, but there's so many unquestioned prejudices and bigotries, even amongst characters that are explicitly written as snobs or progressives. Turns out I'm just not very charmed by stories about rich people expressing sang froid in the presence of murder while on expensive vacations. Especially when everyone working on and running the boat are disregarded to the point of nonexistence on the page. There's a small inclusion of a steward, but this is a practically a Regency parlor novel in terms of who is visible and fully human and who is so subcaste that they aren't questioned regarding a crime, much less described as existing whatsoever. (Which is wild, since the passengers would be vastly outnumbered by crew and staff).

Also, (semi-spoiler) even for the British interwar period, people's refusal to be unsettled by multiple murders on an isolated ship just read like teenagers in a bad slasher movie watching their peers fall but never expressing an interest in leaving the cabin.

I'll probably still investigate some other Agatha Christie, but, for me, I think much of the charm and intelligence of the novel requires an uncomfortable amount of historical grace regarding racism and classism to an extent that I don't find worth extending.

[David Suchet's audiobook narration left some things to be desired. Although he's the most famous Poirot thus far, most of his character voices (including Poirot's) were difficult to understand and to differentiate. I think it's an older audiobook, and that aged style shows. I definitely missed some elements due to not reading this visually]
]]> 140963 O Pioneers! (1913) was Willa Cather's first great novel, and to many it remains her unchallenged masterpiece. No other work of fiction so faithfully conveys both the sharp physical realities and the mythic sweep of the transformation of the American frontier—and the transformation of the people who settled it. Cather's heroine is Alexandra Bergson, who arrives on the wind-blasted prairie of Hanover, Nebraska, as a girl and grows up to make it a prosperous farm. But this archetypal success story is darkened by loss, and Alexandra's devotion to the land may come at the cost of love itself.

At once a sophisticated pastoral and a prototype for later feminist novels, O Pioneers! is a work in which triumph is inextricably enmeshed with tragedy, a story of people who do not claim a land so much as they submit to it and, in the process, become greater than they were.]]> 159 Willa Cather 0679743626 Kj 0 to-read, to-purchase 3.89 1913
author: Willa Cather
name: Kj
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1913
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read, to-purchase
review:

]]> 214151495 From RuPaul’s Drag Race winner and host of �����’s We’re Here comes an inventive, wondrous novel about American hero Harriet Tubman that remixes history into a fresh, dynamic novel about love, freedom, salvation, and music.

In an age of miracles where our greatest heroes from history have magically, unexplainably returned to shake us out of our confusion and hate, Harriet Tubman is back, and she has a lot to say.

Harriet Tubman and four of the enslaved persons she led to freedom want to tell their story in a unique way—by following in the footsteps of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Harriet wants to put on a show about her life, and she needs a songwriter to help her.

She calls upon Darnell Williams, a once successful hip-hop producer who was topping the charts before being outed by a rival at the BET Awards. Darnell has no idea what to expect when he steps into the studio with Harriet, only that they have one week to write a Broadway caliber musical she can take on the road. Over the course of their time together, they not only mount a show that will take the country by storm, but confront the horrors of both their pasts, and learn to find a way to a better future.

Original, evocative, and historic, Harriet Live in Concert is a landmark achievement that will burrow deep into our hearts (and ears).]]> 240 Bob the Drag Queen 166806197X Kj 0 to-read, library-request 4.10 2025
author: Bob the Drag Queen
name: Kj
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read, library-request
review:

]]> 21945086
Change is no stranger to us in the twenty-first century.��We must constantly adjust to an evolving world, to transformation and innovation. But for many thousands of creative artists, a torrent of recent changes has made it all but impossible to earn a living. A persistent economic recession, social shifts, and technological change have combined to put our artists—from graphic designers to indie-rock musicians, from architects to booksellers—out of work. This important book looks deeply and broadly into the roots of the crisis of the creative class in America and tells us why it matters.
��
In this book Scott Timberg considers the human cost as well as the unintended consequences of shuttered record stores, decimated newspapers, music piracy, and a general attitude of indifference. He identifies social tensions and contradictions—most concerning the artist’s place in society—that have plunged the creative class into a fight for survival. Timberg shows how America’s now-collapsing middlebrow culture—a culture once derided by intellectuals like Dwight Macdonald—appears, from today’s vantage point, to have been at least a Silver Age. The book��is essential reading for anyone who works in the world of culture, knows someone who does, or cares about the work creative artists produce.]]> 320 Scott Timberg 0300195885 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 3.66 2015
author: Scott Timberg
name: Kj
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 219598856 1 Dorothy L. Sayers Kj 0 to-read 0.0 1926
author: Dorothy L. Sayers
name: Kj
average rating: 0.0
book published: 1926
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 49018907 6 Dorothy L. Sayers 1974935302 Kj 0 to-read 3.55 1923
author: Dorothy L. Sayers
name: Kj
average rating: 3.55
book published: 1923
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 36488552
Stacey encourages her readers both to leverage otherness to their advantage and to recognize their own underlying feelings of unworthiness and legitimate fears. Sure, networking helps, but so do well-chosen mentors, thoughtful self-advocacy, and, above all, pinpointing one’s genuine passions. Stacey applies her lessons to the recent graduate taking her big idea to the startup level, the Latino city councilman eyeing the mayor’s office, and the young assistant navigating her way to a higher position. There is precious little such wisdom out there. Stacey is determined to change that.]]> 226 Stacey Abrams 1250191297 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 4.20 2018
author: Stacey Abrams
name: Kj
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 150778945 The Burning Girl and the propulsive social interrogation of Rebecca Makkai’s I Have Some Questions for You, Hansbury reckons with gender and class as he delivers a timely and captivating narrative of self-realization amid the everyday violence of small-town intolerance. As the story builds to its explosive conclusion, Some Strange Music Draws Me In illuminates the unexpected ways that queerness can provide a ticket to liberation.]]> 320 Griffin Hansbury 1324050799 Kj 0 to-read, library-request 4.47 2024
author: Griffin Hansbury
name: Kj
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read, library-request
review:

]]> 223854551
For Mason, tutoring an airheaded jock is nothing but a distraction from a past he can't escape. What he doesn't expect is to find something worthwhile in their conversations-something softening in the ice between them. Nor does Cam expect that Mason's calm smile hides a harrowing story. As they slowly nudge through each other's steel gates, the dangerous realities beyond high school threaten their deepening bond.

But really, it's about football.]]> 320 A.M. Woody 0593695429 Kj 0 to-read 4.25 2025
author: A.M. Woody
name: Kj
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 13392635 370 Simon Callow 000744530X Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 4.14 2012
author: Simon Callow
name: Kj
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 70240521 The #1 New York Times bestselling historical novelist delivers her magnum opus—a landmark work of feminist nonfiction that radically redefines our understanding of the extraordinary roles ordinary women played throughout British history.

Most histories have been written by men, about men, relegating women—with the exception of a few queens—to the shadows of time. Now, bestselling author Philippa Gregory reveals the importance of ordinary women, providing a more balanced and truer chronicle that expands and adds rich detail to the story of Great Britain.

In Normal Women, Gregory draws on an enormous archive of primary and secondary sources to rewrite British history, focusing on the agency, persistence, and effectiveness of everyday women throughout periods of social and cultural transition. She sweeps from the making of the Bayeux tapestry in the eleventh century to the Black Death in 1348—after which women were briefly paid the same wages as men, the last time for seven centuries—to the 1992 ordination of women by the Church of England, when the church accepted, for the first time, that a woman could perform the miracle of the mass.

Through the stories of the female soldiers of the civil war, the guild widows who founded the prosperity of the City of London, highwaywomen and pirates, miners, ship owners, international traders, the women who ran London theaters and commissioned plays from Shakespeare, and the "female husbands" who married each other legally in church and lived as husband and wife, Gregory redefines "normal" female behavior to include heroism, rebellion, crime, treason, money-making, and sainthood. As she makes clear, normal women make history.

Normal Women will include black-and-white illustrations throughout and a full-color insert.]]> 688 Philippa Gregory 0063304325 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 3.94 2023
author: Philippa Gregory
name: Kj
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 216963456
Liam Connelly is a university student in Sydney. He leads an orderly and predictable life of studying, working as a waiter in an upscale harbour restaurant and spending lots of time with his cat, trying to convince himself that after his last cheating boyfriend, he’s perfectly happy alone. Well, mostly happy.

Ambrose Newman is a Bad Boyfriend. Professionally. Someone’s parents don’t approve of that long-haired unemployed bass player they want to date? Well, that’s where Ambrose comes in. For a few hundred dollars a night, he’ll go to dinner with them and their parents and show them that the grass is definitely not greener on his side of the fence. It’s dead. When Ambrose brings a date to Liam’s restaurant, it’s not sparks that fly—it’s glassware.

When Liam needs a date to prove to his visiting parents that he’s not destined to die sad and alone, he calls Ambrose, desperate. If Ambrose can be a bad boyfriend for money, he can be a tolerable one too, right? Which works out great—right up until Ambrose is too nice, and Liam’s parents invite them up to their winery for the long weekend.

Suddenly Ambrose has to be a Bad Boyfriend again, to give Liam an excuse to ‘break up�� with him before his mum starts planning the wedding. But as Liam gets to know the real Ambrose, real feelings start to sneak into the fake relationship on both sides. Under the watchful eyes of Liam’s protective family, who have no idea what to make of Ambrose, their fake relationship evolves into a chance at something real.

When Ambrose has an ugly run-in with Liam’s sister’s fiancé—who’s an even worse boyfriend than him—it might cost him not only any chance he had of convincing Liam’s family that he’s not the nightmare they think he is, but his fledgling relationship with Liam, too.

Reader advisory: This book contains mention of physical abuse and a racist comment.]]> 272 Lisa Henry Kj 3 queer-ye
I think this will be a hit or miss for most readers. Either you'll comfortably jog along with the low (no) stakes storyline and relaxed Aussie winery vibes or you'll feel let down by the under-utilized premise and spark-less rom and com. It was a miss for me.

I can tell this is probably a fun book for plenty of people and I can't really fault the characters or dialogue much (though our first protagonist's personality only exists in light of people saying he's a nerd; that nerddom never manifests nor does his oft-spoken of awkwardness.)

It's a casually pleasant read for the first third, then the action stalls and the romance goes from nothing, to maybe, to insta-everything. And then there's an inexplicably long denouement followed by a long and unnecessary epilogue. It's like this started as one book then the writers got distracted half way through and didn't notice they were still writing.

I did like the fake bad boyfriend premise, but I initially thought it was going somewhere much more interesting. When we learn that our character is going to hire a bad boyfriend so that his mum will get off his back about dating, I thought that convincing your pressuring parents that you really adore this grotesquely rude and selfish person would then let you bait and switch and say "so you'd rather me with someone horrible than not be single?" I thought it was going to help the person make the point to their parents that being in a couple was not the definition of happiness; basically, that you flaunt a bad boyfriend in front of them to make them realize that you should let your adult child determine what their own happiness looks like.

But that isn't at all what our protagonist is trying to do, and frankly, I could not see the stakes of paying hundreds of dollars as a 23 year old because your adoring mother wants you to have a love story like she did. Yes, she needs to back off, but learn to have that conversation. This set up does not justify an expensive fake bad boyfriend situation. (Also, the reason our guy has avoided dating for the past year did not play out effectively to justify the lengths he's going to avoid dates. Yeah, it sucks what happened, but sure didn't sound like he was so invested that a year and a half later he's avoiding meeting people for coffee.)

Overall, what started as kind of cute started feeling lazy and overly long really quickly. Not my jam. *Also, lots of ableist language, which extra sucks in a book depicting someone with a severe mental illness.]]> 3.50 2022
author: Lisa Henry
name: Kj
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/03
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: queer-ye
review:
2.5

I think this will be a hit or miss for most readers. Either you'll comfortably jog along with the low (no) stakes storyline and relaxed Aussie winery vibes or you'll feel let down by the under-utilized premise and spark-less rom and com. It was a miss for me.

I can tell this is probably a fun book for plenty of people and I can't really fault the characters or dialogue much (though our first protagonist's personality only exists in light of people saying he's a nerd; that nerddom never manifests nor does his oft-spoken of awkwardness.)

It's a casually pleasant read for the first third, then the action stalls and the romance goes from nothing, to maybe, to insta-everything. And then there's an inexplicably long denouement followed by a long and unnecessary epilogue. It's like this started as one book then the writers got distracted half way through and didn't notice they were still writing.

I did like the fake bad boyfriend premise, but I initially thought it was going somewhere much more interesting. When we learn that our character is going to hire a bad boyfriend so that his mum will get off his back about dating, I thought that convincing your pressuring parents that you really adore this grotesquely rude and selfish person would then let you bait and switch and say "so you'd rather me with someone horrible than not be single?" I thought it was going to help the person make the point to their parents that being in a couple was not the definition of happiness; basically, that you flaunt a bad boyfriend in front of them to make them realize that you should let your adult child determine what their own happiness looks like.

But that isn't at all what our protagonist is trying to do, and frankly, I could not see the stakes of paying hundreds of dollars as a 23 year old because your adoring mother wants you to have a love story like she did. Yes, she needs to back off, but learn to have that conversation. This set up does not justify an expensive fake bad boyfriend situation. (Also, the reason our guy has avoided dating for the past year did not play out effectively to justify the lengths he's going to avoid dates. Yeah, it sucks what happened, but sure didn't sound like he was so invested that a year and a half later he's avoiding meeting people for coffee.)

Overall, what started as kind of cute started feeling lazy and overly long really quickly. Not my jam. *Also, lots of ableist language, which extra sucks in a book depicting someone with a severe mental illness.
]]> 217387822 A blazingly original history celebrating the persistence of queerness onscreen, behind the camera, and between the lines during the dark days of the Hollywood Production Code.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, the Motion Picture Production Code severely restricted what Hollywood cinema could depict. This included “any inference�� of the lives of homosexuals. In a landmark 1981 book, gay activist Vito Russo famously condemned Hollywood's censorship regime, lambasting many midcentury­ films as the bigoted products of a “celluloid closet.��

But there is more to these movies than meets the eye. In this insightful, wildly entertaining book, cinema historian Michael Koresky ­finds new meaning in “problematic�� classics of the Code era like Hitchcock's Rope, Minnelli's Tea and Sympathy, and-bookending the period and anchoring Koresky's narrative-William Wyler's two adaptations of The Children's Hour, Lillian Hellman's provocative hit play about a pair of schoolteachers accused of lesbianism.

Lifting up the underappreciated queer filmmakers, writers, and actors of the era, Koresky finds artists who are long overdue for reevaluation. Through his brilliant analysis, Sick and Dirty reveals the “bad seeds�� of queer cinema to be surprisingly, even gleefully subversive, reminding us, in an age of book bans and gag laws, that nothing makes queerness speak louder than its opponents' bids to silence it.]]> 320 Michael Koresky 1639732543 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 4.67
author: Michael Koresky
name: Kj
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 63005182 14 Young Adult short stories from bestselling and award-winning authors make a splash in Mermaids Never Drown - the second collection in the Untold Legends series edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker - exploring mermaids like we've never seen them before!

A Vietnamese mermaid caught between two worlds. A siren who falls for Poseidon's son. A boy secretly pining for the merboy who saved him years ago. A storm that brings humans and mermaids together. Generations of family secrets and pain.

Find all these stories and more in this gripping new collection that will reel you in from the very first page! Welcome to an ocean of hurt, fear, confusion, rage, hope, humor, discovery, and love in its many forms.

Edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Mermaids Never Drown features beloved authors like Darcie Little Badger, Kalynn Bayron, Preeti Chhibber, Rebecca Coffindaffer, Julie C. Dao, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Adriana Herrera, June Hur, Katherine Locke, Kerri Maniscalco, Julie Murphy, Gretchen Schreiber, and Julian Winters.]]> 320 Zoraida Córdova 1250823811 Kj 4 queer-ye
Like any edited short story collection, there are some hits, misses, and okays. Unsurprisingly, my favorite story was by Darcie Little Badger; she was the author who attracted me to the collection.

Nothing really swept me away here (yes pun). Although it's in the nature of a short story to be short, many of these seemed to end right when the story was beginning. There's a difference between ending a story at a new launching point and ending a story during rising action. A lot of these felt like the latter.

Mermaid lovers will find some cool, sometimes creepy, sometimes semi-cloying underwater stories; the best among them do some great critical social theory work too.

[Audiobook was a mix of great narrators and some less great narrators]]]> 3.69 2023
author: Zoraida Córdova
name: Kj
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: queer-ye
review:
3.5

Like any edited short story collection, there are some hits, misses, and okays. Unsurprisingly, my favorite story was by Darcie Little Badger; she was the author who attracted me to the collection.

Nothing really swept me away here (yes pun). Although it's in the nature of a short story to be short, many of these seemed to end right when the story was beginning. There's a difference between ending a story at a new launching point and ending a story during rising action. A lot of these felt like the latter.

Mermaid lovers will find some cool, sometimes creepy, sometimes semi-cloying underwater stories; the best among them do some great critical social theory work too.

[Audiobook was a mix of great narrators and some less great narrators]
]]> 53237298 A cantankerously funny view of books and the people who love them. It does take all kinds and through the misanthropic eyes of a very grumpy bookseller, we see them all--from the "Person Who Doesn't Know What They Want (But Thinks It Might Have a Blue Cover)" to the "Parents Secretly After Free Childcare."

From behind the counter, Shaun Bythell catalogs the customers who roam his shop in Wigtown, Scotland. There's the Expert (divided into subspecies from the Bore to the Helpful Person), the Young Family (ranging from the Exhausted to the Aspirational), Occultists (from Conspiracy Theorist to Craft Woman).

Then there's the Loiterer (including the Erotica Browser and the Self-Published Author), the Bearded Pensioner (including the Lycra Clad), and the The Not-So-Silent Traveller (the Whistler, Sniffer, Hummer, Farter, and Tutter). Two bonus sections include Staff and, finally, Perfect Customer--all add up to one of the funniest book about books you'll ever find.

Shaun Bythell (author of Confessions of a Bookseller) and his mordantly unique observational eye make this perfect for anyone who loves books and bookshops.

"Bythell is having fun and it's infectious."--Scotsman

"Virtuosic venting ... misanthropy with bursts of sweetness."��Guardian

"All the ingredients for a gentle human comedy are here, as soothing as a bag of boiled sweets and just as tempting to dip into."--Literary Review

"Any reader finding this book in their stocking on Christmas morning should feel lucky...contains plenty to amuse--an excellent diversion"--Bookmunch]]> 128 Shaun Bythell 1567926924 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 3.46 2020
author: Shaun Bythell
name: Kj
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 200632685
Now, I’m gonna be honest: Some of the details might be vague because a b*tch is fifty-five and she’s smoked a ton of weed. But while bits might be a touch hazy, I can promise you the underlying truth is REAL. Whether I’m talking about my childhood growing up in the South, my early stand-up days driving from gig to gig through the darkest parts of our country and praying I wouldn’t get murdered, what Chris Rock told Lorne Michaels, that time I wanted to shoot Whoopi Goldberg on SNL, and yeah, I’ll tell you all about Ghostbusters and the nudes and Supermarket Sweep and The Daily Show . . . I’m sharing it all in these pages. It’s not easy being a woman in comedy, especially when you’re a tall-*ss Black woman with a trumpet voice. I have to fight so that no one takes me for granted, and no one takes advantage. These are the stories that explain why. (Cue the Law & Order theme.)

Read by the author, with a Foreword by Chris Rock.]]> 17 Leslie Jones Kj 4
Leslie Jones' audiobook version of her memoir is a creation unto itself, diving over, under, and through the written text and sometimes leaving it far behind. Listening to her memoir is like meeting an amazing person on a long train ride and staying up all night and skipping your stop just so you can hear them tell one more story. On top of what she shares, it's moving to hear her caught up in giggles and then surprised by and overcome with tears. It's so incredibly intimate.

Unsurprisingly, Jones is an outside-the-box genius storyteller. What felt especially unique to her spoken memoir is the way she's able to go from reflecting on a past event to then being fully emotionally inside of it like its happening all over again as she tells it. This happens throughout to hilarious and utterly heart-breaking effect.

Often zooming out to consider what she's learned, Jones also offers listeners advice, encouragement, and empowered insights. I was pretty much in awe of her mix of representing the vital importance of showing humility and respect to the craft of one's work and those who have put in their time before you, while at the same time taking absolutely no shit from anyone when you know your shit. I especially loved how she demonstrated her complete refusal to put up with or play the mind games and waiting games of SNL, demanding respect and sanity in the workplace because she was not a fearful young newbie just feeling lucky to be in the room. She claimed her space, showed gratitude where deserved, and took no shit. Made me want to do the wave.

It's an awesome listen to an awesome life-in-progress of an awesome woman.

And oh my gosh, the epilogue, the epilogue, the epilogue. I died.]]> 4.29 2023
author: Leslie Jones
name: Kj
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves:
review:
What an absolute wallop of whip-smart badassarery and hard-won wisdom.

Leslie Jones' audiobook version of her memoir is a creation unto itself, diving over, under, and through the written text and sometimes leaving it far behind. Listening to her memoir is like meeting an amazing person on a long train ride and staying up all night and skipping your stop just so you can hear them tell one more story. On top of what she shares, it's moving to hear her caught up in giggles and then surprised by and overcome with tears. It's so incredibly intimate.

Unsurprisingly, Jones is an outside-the-box genius storyteller. What felt especially unique to her spoken memoir is the way she's able to go from reflecting on a past event to then being fully emotionally inside of it like its happening all over again as she tells it. This happens throughout to hilarious and utterly heart-breaking effect.

Often zooming out to consider what she's learned, Jones also offers listeners advice, encouragement, and empowered insights. I was pretty much in awe of her mix of representing the vital importance of showing humility and respect to the craft of one's work and those who have put in their time before you, while at the same time taking absolutely no shit from anyone when you know your shit. I especially loved how she demonstrated her complete refusal to put up with or play the mind games and waiting games of SNL, demanding respect and sanity in the workplace because she was not a fearful young newbie just feeling lucky to be in the room. She claimed her space, showed gratitude where deserved, and took no shit. Made me want to do the wave.

It's an awesome listen to an awesome life-in-progress of an awesome woman.

And oh my gosh, the epilogue, the epilogue, the epilogue. I died.
]]> 195430723
At the height of the Civil Rights movement, Lydia Abarca was a Black prima ballerina with a major international dance company—the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a troupe of women and men who became each other’s chosen family. She was the first Black ballerina on the cover of Dance magazine, an Essence cover star; she was cast in The Wiz and in a Bob Fosse production on Broadway. She performed in some of ballet’s most iconic works with other trailblazing ballerinas, including the young women who became her closest friends—founding Dance Theatre of Harlem members Gayle McKinney-Griffith and Sheila Rohan, as well as first-generation dancers Karlya Shelton and Marcia Sells.

These Swans of Harlem performed for the Queen of England, Mick Jagger, and Stevie Wonder, on the same bill as Josephine Baker, at the White House, and beyond. But decades later there was almost no record of their groundbreaking history to be found. Out of a sisterhood that had grown even deeper with the years, these Swans joined forces again—to share their story with the world.

Captivating, rich in vivid detail and character, and steeped in the glamour and grit of professional ballet, The Swans of Harlem is a riveting account of five extraordinarily accomplished women, a celebration of both their historic careers and the sustaining, grounding power of female friendship, and a window into the robust history of Black ballet, hidden for too long.]]> 304 Karen Valby 0593317521 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 4.23 2024
author: Karen Valby
name: Kj
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 21843050 None so blind��

As torrential rains wash away the stench of a London heat wave, another kind of wave is sweeping through the city streets. A rash of ghost sightings, followed quickly by madness—and horrifying, eye-melting blindness.

The outbreak hits close to home when Lord Crane’s manservant, Merrick, becomes the newest victim. Desperate to find the cause of the malady, Crane and his magician lover, Stephen Day, are in a race against time—to put an end to the magical assault and put to rest the painful memories resurrected by ghosts of the past.


Warning: Magical horror, strong language, and strange brews disguised as strong drink.]]> 32 K.J. Charles 1619222817 Kj 4 4.00 2015
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 38216806 6 hours and 2 minutes.

Magic in the blood. Danger in the streets.

Lord Crane has never had a lover quite as elusive as Stephen Day. True, Stephen’s job as justiciar requires secrecy, but the magician’s disappearing act bothers Crane more than it should. When a blackmailer threatens to expose their illicit relationship, Crane knows a smart man would hop the first ship bound for China. But something unexpectedly stops him. His heart.

Stephen has problems of his own. As he investigates a plague of giant rats sweeping London, his sudden increase in power, boosted by his blood-and-sex bond with Crane, is rousing suspicion that he’s turned warlock. With all eyes watching him, the threat of exposure grows. Stephen could lose his friends, his job and his liberty over his relationship with Crane. He’s not sure if he can take that risk much longer. And Crane isn’t sure if he can ask him to.

The rats are closing in, and something has to give��


Warning: Contains m/m sex (on desks), blackmail, dark pasts, a domineering earl, a magician on the edge, vampire ghosts (possibly), and the giant rats of Sumatra.]]> 7 K.J. Charles Kj 4 own-digital, queer-ye 4.32 2014
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: own-digital, queer-ye
review:

]]> 218569869
In Dianaworld, Edward White offers both a portrait of the princess and a group portrait of those who existed in her orbit—from her royal in-laws, her servants, and the dilapidated ranks of the British aristocracy from which she rose, to drag performers, artists, Britain’s ethnic minorities, and the Gen Z superfans who maintain her status as a cultural icon.

Drawing on a wide array of sources and perspectives, many never used in books about Diana or the royal family, White vividly recreates the world Diana lived in, explores the growth of her global reputation, and illuminates her lasting impact on the world she left behind.]]> 416 Edward White 132402156X Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 4.29 2025
author: Edward White
name: Kj
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 209087763 How do I get people to respect my boundaries around intimacy?
What if I don't want intimacy at all?
It is selfish to pursue a relationship if I don't want romance?
These questions are not only a source of deep anxiety and frustration for ace and aro people - but limit the heights that ace and aro folks believe they can reach for in their lives. These questions make us believe that we should settle for less, when in fact we all deserve more.
. Whether we're talking about friendships, romantic relationships, casual dates or casual intimate partners, this guide will help you not only live authentically in your ace and aro identity, but joyfully share it with others.]]> 224 Cody Daigle-Orians 1839977345 Kj 4 I Am Ace, which took quite a broad and foundational approach to navigating queer identity, The Ace and Aro Relationship Guide takes a wide, holistic approach to navigating relationships. It's done through an aspec perspective, but applies to pretty much anybody. I find that's both the book's greatest strength and its potential weakness.

The book is very clear about who its for, how its intended, and what its limits are, which is helpful because, like I Am Ace, this is primarily directed towards young readers, not to Daigle-Orians' fellow middle-aged people on the asexuality and/or aromantic spectrums. Given that clarity, I can't really fault the book for not being what I personally wanted it to be, but as a reading experience, it wasn't what I was looking for. If you haven't yet deconstructed a lot of norms around relationships, sexuality, romance, love, etc. this is a marvelous intro to working from the ground up to center what and how you want to inhabit relationships, rather than how to fit into preexisting models. But if you're well into or through that process and looking for some on-the-ground advice and examples of seeking and pursuing out-of-the-box relationships in a society that assumes there are only boxed options, this won't offer much.

There is a lot to appreciate here and a fair amount that feel like firsts. A big one is that this is among the only (as of 2024) aspectrum books clearly written entirely within the community, rather than as a guide for outsiders and newcomers. That's demonstrated in that we get to skip the typical first 3 chapters of in-depth aspec definitions that have been prerequisites for aspec books so far. Loved that. Also, this is the first aspec book I've read that acknowledges relational possibilities that include being aplatonic, being nonamorous, as well as how neurodivergence can further expand the kind of relationships people may or may not desire. As Daigle-Orians helpfully acknowledges, a lot of aspec material raises up friendship as the big show for people who don't experience romantic and/or sexual attractions, but that this re-centering of friendship comes with an erasure of those for whom friendship is not in their desire/interest spectrum. Also loved how Daigle-Orians differentiates between platonic relationships and friendships, with platonic distinctly not including sex or romance (whereas friendship can include sex, etc.).

It's a thoughtful, well-structured guide to reflecting on what makes the kind of relationships that matter to you. At times, however, it does assume the reader already knows how to go out and pursue these relationships and that it's just a matter of explaining boundaries. Still waiting for a book for all the people figuring out their asexuality or aromanticism in middle age who need help reshaping imagination about what has been and what still could be and what that has actually looked like. We've heard a lot for people in their teens and twenties navigating their aro and ace identities within an allo world; would love to hear more from folx who've created new paths out of what they'd been unknowingly participating in for multiple decades of adulthood. Cody Daigle-Orians is someone I would very much like to hear about that from.]]> 4.35 2024
author: Cody Daigle-Orians
name: Kj
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: aroace-spectrum, own-it, queer-ye, read-with-friends
review:
Like Daigle-Orians' first book, I Am Ace, which took quite a broad and foundational approach to navigating queer identity, The Ace and Aro Relationship Guide takes a wide, holistic approach to navigating relationships. It's done through an aspec perspective, but applies to pretty much anybody. I find that's both the book's greatest strength and its potential weakness.

The book is very clear about who its for, how its intended, and what its limits are, which is helpful because, like I Am Ace, this is primarily directed towards young readers, not to Daigle-Orians' fellow middle-aged people on the asexuality and/or aromantic spectrums. Given that clarity, I can't really fault the book for not being what I personally wanted it to be, but as a reading experience, it wasn't what I was looking for. If you haven't yet deconstructed a lot of norms around relationships, sexuality, romance, love, etc. this is a marvelous intro to working from the ground up to center what and how you want to inhabit relationships, rather than how to fit into preexisting models. But if you're well into or through that process and looking for some on-the-ground advice and examples of seeking and pursuing out-of-the-box relationships in a society that assumes there are only boxed options, this won't offer much.

There is a lot to appreciate here and a fair amount that feel like firsts. A big one is that this is among the only (as of 2024) aspectrum books clearly written entirely within the community, rather than as a guide for outsiders and newcomers. That's demonstrated in that we get to skip the typical first 3 chapters of in-depth aspec definitions that have been prerequisites for aspec books so far. Loved that. Also, this is the first aspec book I've read that acknowledges relational possibilities that include being aplatonic, being nonamorous, as well as how neurodivergence can further expand the kind of relationships people may or may not desire. As Daigle-Orians helpfully acknowledges, a lot of aspec material raises up friendship as the big show for people who don't experience romantic and/or sexual attractions, but that this re-centering of friendship comes with an erasure of those for whom friendship is not in their desire/interest spectrum. Also loved how Daigle-Orians differentiates between platonic relationships and friendships, with platonic distinctly not including sex or romance (whereas friendship can include sex, etc.).

It's a thoughtful, well-structured guide to reflecting on what makes the kind of relationships that matter to you. At times, however, it does assume the reader already knows how to go out and pursue these relationships and that it's just a matter of explaining boundaries. Still waiting for a book for all the people figuring out their asexuality or aromanticism in middle age who need help reshaping imagination about what has been and what still could be and what that has actually looked like. We've heard a lot for people in their teens and twenties navigating their aro and ace identities within an allo world; would love to hear more from folx who've created new paths out of what they'd been unknowingly participating in for multiple decades of adulthood. Cody Daigle-Orians is someone I would very much like to hear about that from.
]]> 216971218 On a hotly-contested battlefield, a prince whose touch creates life meets a soldier chosen by death. But can they forge a future together, from opposite sides of a great war?

This is a lyrical and character-driven queer fantasy for those who loved She Who Became the Sun, The Song of Achilles and Lucy Holland's Sistersong.

Prince Elician is a Giver. With a touch he can heal any wound and bring the dead back to life. He also can't be killed, so is cursed to watch his country fight an endless war he can do nothing to stop. Reapers can kill with a single touch. And when one attacks Prince Elician near the battlefield, but fails, the Reaper expects to harshly punished. Instead, Elician offers him a chance at a new life and a new name on enemy territory. The Reaper didn’t realise he could still find something, or someone, to make life worth living - until Elician. And the prince is unaware that his kindness is part of his enemy’s plan, until danger engulfs him in turn.

As the pieces of a deadly plot come together, featuring abduction, treachery and forbidden magic, the stakes rise and tensions escalate at court and on the battlefield. As the fires of conflict burst into new flame, who will wield the powers of life and death? And could love really change a world and stop a war?


A powerful and richly-imagined tale from a bold new voice in fantasy fiction. ]]> 432 Lindsey Byrd 1039012469 Kj 0 to-read 4.00 2025
author: Lindsey Byrd
name: Kj
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 19167960 14 K.J. Charles 1310371806 Kj 4 queer-ye, own-digital The Magpie Lord.

[Audiobook version narrated by Cornell Collins is included as an extra with Book 1!]]]> 4.13 2013
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: queer-ye, own-digital
review:
Enticingly clever short story covering the first week after the events of The Magpie Lord.

[Audiobook version narrated by Cornell Collins is included as an extra with Book 1!]
]]> 54780607 A lord in danger. A magician in turmoil. A snowball in hell.

Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn't expect it to turn up angry.

Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude... and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual.

Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn't the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it—they’re both going to die.


Warning: Contains hot m/m sex between a deeply inappropriate earl and a very confused magician, dark plots in a magical version of Victorian England, family values (not the good kind), and a lot of swearing.]]> K.J. Charles Kj 4 queer-ye, own-digital 4.16 2013
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: queer-ye, own-digital
review:
Another great KJ Charles tale that throws two intelligent but imperfect (and traumatized) people together against class, convention, and in this case, compellingly creepy magic. Looking forward to books two and three with these characters. Also, yay for an MM Romance featuring a 5 ft tall skinny redhead MC. #ShortRep #GingerRep
]]> 223732818 Heartstopper meets Derry Girls in this wonderfully hilarious rom-com about finding your first love when your personality might be too big for the world around you.

Patch Simmons has decided that this is the year he will get a boyfriend, so it's goodbye to his French pen-pal Jean-Pierre and hello to the world!

Unfortunately, the only other "out" boys in his school year are dating each other, so finding a boyfriend isn't going to be easy... Until fate finally intervenes and two new mysterious boys join drama club: Peter, who’s just moved from New York (very chic) and his best friend, Sam.

Patch is confident that one of them (although either of them will do!) will be his first boyfriend. So armed with his single mum’s outdated self-help books, his over-supportive best friend Jean and an alarming level of self-confidence, Patch is confident that this mission will be a complete success. Whether or not they actually like boys or him is a problem for later.

The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King is a heartfelt, laugh-out-loud comedy from rising star Harry Trevaldwyn, a story about boldly being yourself, going for what you want, but never losing sight of who truly has your back.]]> 8 Harry Trevaldwyn Kj 5 queer-ye
This was a grand f*cking time that I recommend for everyone. Definitely the funniest book I've read in recent memory.

I'm rarely an out-loud laugher while reading; I was "HA"ing from page 1 until the end. The tone was pitch perfect and the joyfully, naively, unjustifiably confident narrator IS the story. Yes, there's some nice little bits about friendship, but it is all backstage to the DRAMA THAT IS THIS 16-YEAR-OLD DRAMA KING. I was dying at his delusions of maturity and sophistication about everything from coffee drinking to career paths. Patrick "Patch" is the most extravagantly ridiculous, obliviously uninformed, sweetheartedly selfish, master of his own destiny; following his hyperbolic efforts toward achieving his goals is the most fun I've had in a long time.

I love that despite technically being a "rom-com" this is 100% actual comedy. The elements that qualify as romance are cute little wisps of infatuation, and even those are just there�� appropriately—to showcase the wonders of Patch's inner workings and outer behaviors. As much as I delight in a good swoon, that is not where the real show is here, and the real show is an ingeniously clever depiction of foolhardy, shallow, hopeful, harmless, unstoppable teenage ambition. It's big-hearted and smart while being entirely silly. I also enjoyed the light way in which the novel illustrates the difference between self-help and self-knowledge.


[Utterly infectiously hilarious and adorable audiobook narration by author Harry Trevaldwyn. I 1000% recommend the audiobook]


*Note: (and this is purely an expression of how onboard I was for more of everything here) I was a little bummed that the central setting of teenagers doing a production Sweeney Todd never really came into play. Except for Patch's bespoke research process involving barbers, the show could have been anything. Also, given that the director has a line about making generous cuts to original material, what community youth production of Sweeney Todd is keeping Judge Turpin's self-flagellation number? And with that, HOW does Patch playing a lecherous old Victorian never merit comment other than that his character is a judge? I was so ready for his commentary on how he would approach getting into THAT character, but it went by essentially without notice. Also would have loved some more engagement with Sam being a first time actor who starts by playing Sweeney Todd, one of this trickiest roles to act and sing in all of musical theatre. I wanted more about how Sam was onstage and during rehearsal (and about the fact that Sam would have repeatedly killed Patch onstage—feels like that 100% would have been comment-worthy to Patch). Basically, in any novel where teenagers do a musical, I ALWAYS want more about the show itself and how the rehearsals play out. That's a me preference and is no weakness in the book—just something I would have happily read 75 more pages about :)]]> 4.08 2025
author: Harry Trevaldwyn
name: Kj
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/21
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: queer-ye
review:
4.5

This was a grand f*cking time that I recommend for everyone. Definitely the funniest book I've read in recent memory.

I'm rarely an out-loud laugher while reading; I was "HA"ing from page 1 until the end. The tone was pitch perfect and the joyfully, naively, unjustifiably confident narrator IS the story. Yes, there's some nice little bits about friendship, but it is all backstage to the DRAMA THAT IS THIS 16-YEAR-OLD DRAMA KING. I was dying at his delusions of maturity and sophistication about everything from coffee drinking to career paths. Patrick "Patch" is the most extravagantly ridiculous, obliviously uninformed, sweetheartedly selfish, master of his own destiny; following his hyperbolic efforts toward achieving his goals is the most fun I've had in a long time.

I love that despite technically being a "rom-com" this is 100% actual comedy. The elements that qualify as romance are cute little wisps of infatuation, and even those are just there�� appropriately—to showcase the wonders of Patch's inner workings and outer behaviors. As much as I delight in a good swoon, that is not where the real show is here, and the real show is an ingeniously clever depiction of foolhardy, shallow, hopeful, harmless, unstoppable teenage ambition. It's big-hearted and smart while being entirely silly. I also enjoyed the light way in which the novel illustrates the difference between self-help and self-knowledge.


[Utterly infectiously hilarious and adorable audiobook narration by author Harry Trevaldwyn. I 1000% recommend the audiobook]


*Note: (and this is purely an expression of how onboard I was for more of everything here) I was a little bummed that the central setting of teenagers doing a production Sweeney Todd never really came into play. Except for Patch's bespoke research process involving barbers, the show could have been anything. Also, given that the director has a line about making generous cuts to original material, what community youth production of Sweeney Todd is keeping Judge Turpin's self-flagellation number? And with that, HOW does Patch playing a lecherous old Victorian never merit comment other than that his character is a judge? I was so ready for his commentary on how he would approach getting into THAT character, but it went by essentially without notice. Also would have loved some more engagement with Sam being a first time actor who starts by playing Sweeney Todd, one of this trickiest roles to act and sing in all of musical theatre. I wanted more about how Sam was onstage and during rehearsal (and about the fact that Sam would have repeatedly killed Patch onstage—feels like that 100% would have been comment-worthy to Patch). Basically, in any novel where teenagers do a musical, I ALWAYS want more about the show itself and how the rehearsals play out. That's a me preference and is no weakness in the book—just something I would have happily read 75 more pages about :)
]]> 16284965 24/7: Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep�� explores some of the ruinous consequences of the expanding non-stop processes of twenty-first-century capitalism. The marketplace now operates through every hour of the clock, pushing us into constant activity and eroding forms of community and political expression, damaging the fabric of everyday life.

Jonathan Crary examines how this interminable non-time blurs any separation between an intensified, ubiquitous consumerism and emerging strategies of control and surveillance. He describes the ongoing management of individual attentiveness and the impairment of perception within the compulsory routines of contemporary technological culture. At the same time, he shows that human sleep, as a restorative withdrawal that is intrinsically incompatible with 24/7 capitalism, points to other more formidable and collective refusals of world-destroying patterns of growth and accumulation.]]> 144 Jonathan Crary 1781680930 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 3.74 2013
author: Jonathan Crary
name: Kj
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 427379 244 Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick 0231082738 Kj 0 to-read, unread-nonfiction 4.06 1985
author: Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
name: Kj
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1985
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, unread-nonfiction
review:

]]> 63907612
Barnaby has secured a job running the extravagant traditional Christmas at a rich man's country house. John intends to thwart whatever he's up to.

But amid the festivity, the halls are decked with unexpected dangers. And John will need to decide if he can trust Barnaby one more time...]]> 119 K.J. Charles 1912688263 Kj 0 to-read, winterval 4.01 2022
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, winterval
review:

]]> 34861586 If you stop running, you fall.

Jonah Pastern is a magician, a liar, a windwalker, a professional thief…and for six months, he was the love of police constable Ben Spenser’s life. His betrayal left Ben jailed, ruined, alone, and looking for revenge.

Ben is determined to make Jonah pay. But he can’t seem to forget what they once shared, and Jonah refuses to let him. Soon Ben is entangled in Jonah’s chaotic existence all over again, and they’re running together—from the police, the justiciary, and some dangerous people with a lethal grudge against them.

Threatened on all sides by betrayals, secrets, and the laws of the land, the policeman and the thief must find a way to live and love before the past catches up with them...

A Charm of Magpies linked story, set after Flight of Magpies. Previously published by Samhain.]]> 222 K.J. Charles 0995799059 Kj 0 4.24 2015
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 39101156 It’s amazing what people throw away��

Crispin Tredarloe never meant to become a warlock. Freed from his treacherous master, he’s learning how to use his magical powers the right way. But it’s brutally hard work. Not everyone believes he’s a reformed character, and the strain is putting unbearable pressure on his secret relationship with waste-man Ned Hall.

Ned’s sick of magic. Sick of the trouble it brings, sick of its dangerous grip on Crispin and the miserable look it puts in his eyes, and sick of being afraid that a gentleman magician won’t want a street paper-seller forever—or even for much longer.

But something is stirring among London’s forgotten discards. An ancient evil is waking up and seeking its freedom. And when wild magic hits the rag-and-bottle shop where Ned lives, a panicking Crispin falls back onto bad habits. The embattled lovers must find a way to work together—or London could go up in flames.

This story is set in the world of the Charm of Magpies series.

Warning: Contains a warlock who needs to go straight (but isn’t), a waste-man running out of patience, blood magic, bad-tempered justiciars, and a pen with a mind of its own.]]> 6 K.J. Charles Kj 0 4.00 2016
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 50777233
The Duke's remote castle is a difficult target, and Alec needs a way to get the thieves in. Soldier-turned-criminal Jerry Crozier has the answer: he'll pose as a Society gentleman and become Alec's new best friend.

But Jerry is a dangerous man: controlling, remote, and devastating. He effortlessly teases out the lonely young nobleman’s most secret desires, and soon he’s got Alec in his bed—and the palm of his hand.

Or maybe not. Because as the plot thickens, betrayals, secrets, new loves, and old evils come to light. Now the jewel thief and the aristocrat must keep up the pretence, find their way through a maze of privilege and deceit, and confront the truth of what's between them...all without getting caught.]]> 8 K.J. Charles Kj 0 4.18 2019
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 41151893
Angleterre, 1904. Deux ans plus tôt, le capitaine Archie Curtis a perdu ses amis, ses doigts, et son avenir dans un terrible accident militaire. Seul, sans but et plein de colère, il est déterminé à découvrir si ses camarades et lui ont été les victimes du destin ou d'un sabotage.

Ses recherches le conduisent à une maison de campagne ultra-moderne et isolée, où il rencontrer un autre visiteur, Daniel da Silva, à qui il s'oppose immédiatement. Faible, décadent, étranger, et bien trop visiblement homosexuel, le poète raffiné représente tout ce dont l'officier britannique franc et droit se méfier et craint.

Au fil des événements, Curtis se rend compte que Daniel détient ses propres intentions secrètes. Ce n'est d'ailleurs pas la seule chose qu'ils ont en commun : la tension sexuelle monte crescendo et le laisse pantois.

Mais alors que les masques des habitants tombent, révélant perfidie, chantage et meurtre, Curtis découvre qu'il a besoin de Daniel comme jamais il n'a eu besoin d'un homme avant ça...]]> 251 K.J. Charles Kj 0 3.00 2014
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 30808825
Silas Mason has no illusions about himself. He's not lovable or even likable. He's an overbearing idealist, a radical bookseller and pamphleteer who lives for revolution...and for Wednesday nights. Every week he meets anonymously with the same man, in whom Silas has discovered the ideal meld of intellectual companionship and absolute obedience to his sexual commands. But, unbeknownst to Silas, his closest friend is also his greatest enemy, with the power to see him hanged - or spare his life.

A loyal, well-born gentleman official, Dominic Frey is torn apart by his affair with Silas. By the light of day, he cannot fathom the intoxicating lust that drives him to meet with the radical week after week. In the bedroom everything else falls away. Their needs match, and they are united by sympathy for each other's deepest vulnerabilities. But when Silas' politics earn him a death sentence, desire clashes with duty, and Dominic finds himself doing everything he can to save the man who stole his heart.]]> 0 K.J. Charles 1531876625 Kj 0 4.67 2015
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 29803950 0 K.J. Charles 1522689230 Kj 0 4.00 2015
author: K.J. Charles
name: Kj
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 44543914 Beckett Gaines, a gay teen living in South Carolina, has his world turned upside-down by a jock in this laugh-out-loud novel that’s Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets The Parent Trap.

Beck:
The Golden Girl-loving, out-and-proud choir nerd growing up in the “ass-crack of the Bible belt.��

Jax:
The Golden Boy, star quarterback with a slick veneer facing uncomfortable truths about himself and his past.

When Beck’s emotionally fragile dad starts dating the recently single (and supposedly lesbian) mom of former bully, Jaxon Parker, Beck is not having it. Jax isn’t happy about the situation either, holding out hope that his moms will reunite and restore the only stable home he’s ever known. Putting aside past differences, the boys plot to derail the budding romance between their parents at their conservative hometown’s first-ever Rainbow Prom. Hearts will be broken, new romance will bloom, but nothing will go down the way Beck and Jax have planned.

In his hilarious and provocative debut, Greg Howard examines the challenges of growing up different in a small southern town through the lens of colorful and unforgettable characters who stay with you long after the last drop of sweet tea.]]> Greg Howard Kj 0 3.90 2018
author: Greg Howard
name: Kj
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, requested-from-library
review:

]]> 179763618
Ben is all the things Will isn’t: confident, charming (bordering on cocky), popular, a Jiu Jitsu champion, and generally deflecting life’s problems as easily as dodging a clumsy throw on the mat. Whereas Will comes out in a rash at the thought of public speaking, he’s been too way nervous to try dating apps and he’s let his social life go stale since he moved to this big beautiful city.

What starts as unfriendly rivalry grows into friendship and then blossoms into something more…and soon Will and Ben are bonding over their shared love of comic books and loaded burritos. Will feels like he can open up to Ben in a way he never has before. Except…there’s one truth Will doesn’t know how to share. How will Ben react if he knows? It’s time for Will to come out with it, even if it changes everything…because the most important person he needs to be true to is himself.]]> Alex Bertie Kj 4 queer-ye
[Lovely audiobook narration by Harrison Knights]]]> 3.68 2023
author: Alex Bertie
name: Kj
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: queer-ye
review:
A charming lite bite of a book. I would have happily enjoyed this as a full meal—good writing, delightful characters—so I hope we'll see some longer form stories from Bertie in the future.

[Lovely audiobook narration by Harrison Knights]
]]> 25817664 Golden Girls��retrospective, packed with hundreds of exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes and never-before-revealed stories, more than two hundred color and black-and-white photos, commentary, and more.

They were four women of a certain age, living together under one roof in Miami—smart and strong Dorothy, airhead Rose, man-hungry belle Blanche, and smart-mouthed matriarch Sophia. They were the Golden Girls, and for seven seasons, this hilarious quartet enchanted millions of viewers with their witty banter, verve, sass, and love, and reaffirmed the power of friendship and family.

Over thirty years after it first aired,��The Golden Girls��has become a cult classic, thanks to fan fiction, arts and crafts, podcasts, hundreds of fan blogs and websites, and syndication. Now,��Golden Girls Forever��pays homage to this wildly popular, acclaimed, and award-winning sitcom. Drawing on interviews with the show’s creators, actors, guest stars, producers, writers, and crew members, Jim Colucci paints a comprehensive portrait of the Girls both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes.

Illustrated with hundreds of photos, including stills from the show and a treasure trove of never-before-seen and newly rediscovered photos,��Golden Girls Forever��includes:

�� Girls and Their Guests: short profiles of the show’s most famous guest stars

�� Why I Love the Girls: Lance Bass, Laverne Cox, Ross Mathews, Perez Hilton, Zachary Quinto, Chris Colfer, Jason Collins, and many, many other celebrities share their love of the Girls

�� Exclusive interviews with ninety-four-year-old Betty White; the famously private Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan, before their deaths; and fan-favorite actors who appeared on the show

�� Harvey Fierstein's tribute to his close friend, Estelle Getty

Bursting with fun facts, anecdotes, reminiscences, and insights,��Golden Girls Forever��is the ultimate companion to the show for fans old and new.]]> 368 Jim Colucci 0062422901 Kj 0 to-read 4.41 2016
author: Jim Colucci
name: Kj
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>