Books

Book 965: Flamer – Mike Curato

Book cover of "Flamer" with Amazon Affiliate linkI was not expecting this one to be such a gut punch. I don’t know why because looking at the cover with the flames, the derogatory name, and the unhappy boy scout it should’ve been obvious, but still it got dark.

There was so much in this that I identified with from growing up as a boy scout, being chubby, and figuring out my sexuality. It was like looking in a very unflattering mirror with added identities for the protagonist who was half Filipino and making the transition from private middle school to public high school.

Continue reading “Book 965: Flamer – Mike Curato”

Books

Book 935: Dream Boy – Jim Grimsley

Kindle book cover of "Dream Boy" with Amazon Affiliate linkBare with me for a moment as I go on a tangent. Recently, I’ve been obsessed with re-watching the Netflix adaptation of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series and I  couldn’t realize why other than it’s a fantastic series and adaptation, but then I read this book and it all clicked into place: queer joy.

Growing up in the 1990s/early-2000s I’d say 85%+ of all depictions of LGBT characters were tragic or left to interpretation and this is a prime example of that. Having the opportunity to watch Charlie and Nick in Heartstopper as they discover happiness and joy, even with setbacks, mental health issues, and added TV drama, is just such a wonderful feeling of relief and joy that I float along every time I watch it or listen to the soundtrack or think about it. And this is in stark contrast to Roy and Nathan, the protagonists of Grimsley’s second foray into the novel.

Continue reading “Book 935: Dream Boy – Jim Grimsley”

Books

Book 911: The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison

Book cover of "The Bluest Eye" with Amazon Affiliate linkToni Morrison is one of those authors who have always been on my list, mostly due to the controversy around their books (stupid book banners), but I’ve never gotten around to reading them. Both The Bluest Eye and Beloved were on my The Classics Club list I created back in 2012 and I picked up physical copies sometime after that.

When Morrison passed in 2019, I told myself I would read her works and it took me this long to get to them thanks to always being distracted and just not making an effort. Both are relatively short so ended up on my Rando Book Selector spreadsheet using randomly generated titles from roughly 60 books to slowly chip away at my TBR pile and The Bluest Eye came up as I was planning for a recent vacation and here we are.

Continue reading “Book 911: The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison”

Books

Book 802: The House in the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune

Book cover of "The House in the Cerulean Sea" with Amazon Affiliate LinkI knew I was going to like this going in because of how much I enjoyed the quirkiness of Klune’s The Extraordinaries, but I didn’t know I would like it this much! I’m now desperate for Flash Fire (the sequel to The Extraordinaries), but have months to wait!

The House on the Cerulean Sea is the story of Linus Baker, a cog in the machine that is the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY). He is sent to Marsayas to investigate the orphanage run by Arthur Parnassus, an extraordinary caretaker who cares for and teaches his wards but has his own secret.

Continue reading “Book 802: The House in the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune”

Books

Book 792: Hallucinating Foucault – Patricia Duncker

Book cover of "Hallucinating Foucault" with amazon affiliate linkI forgot how beautiful this novel is. That’s not surprising considering it’s been over a decade since I read it and I’m honestly not sure if this is my original copy or if I picked up a new one in the past few years. [Can now confirm this is my original – I brought it to Boston in December 2012.]

I remember when I first read this. I had spent a semester studying the history of sexuality in America and we read many passages from Michel Foucault’s The History of Sexuality and I was obsessed. Between it and the other readings we read that term, a whole new world around sexuality, gender identity, and philosophy had opened up to me. So, more than likely I typed Foucault into Amazon and this came up and I purchased it.

Continue reading “Book 792: Hallucinating Foucault – Patricia Duncker”