Tag: Cancer

ARC, Books

Book 959: The Dove in the Belly – Jim Grimsley

Geoff W

When I finished re-reading Dream Boy back in May, I did a quick search to see what Jim Grimsley was up to these days and stumbled across this upcoming release. I reached out to the publisher for a copy and crossed my fingers it wasn’t going to be as traumatic or emotionally draining as the others I’ve read.*

The Dove in the Belly is the story of Ronny and Ben. It takes place on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus in the 1970s and that’s the main reason I wanted to read this, Grimsley went to UNC and having it set on the UNC campus intrigued me as I also went to UNC and remember some of the history around the early LGBT organizations and experiences on campus.

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Books

Book 869: The Guncle – Steven Rowley

Geoff W

I had to wait a few weeks for this book to come in at the library, but when it did I immediately slotted it into my upcoming books to read. I did this not so much out of an OMG I have to read this but more out of an OMG I need to read this before it goes back to the library because the wait list exploded and I’d never get it back again!

The book is a lot more serious than the cover and the characters really make you think it is. It covers death and grief and growing from both of those things at different ages and life stages. It talks about substance abuse and  sibling rivalries. And it highlights dysfunctional adult sibling relationships. Rowley really did a great job of bringing humor and lightness to some really serious topics.

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Books

Book 759: The Problem with Mistletoe (Five Points Stories #1) – Kyle Baxter

Geoff W

I gave ample warning more were coming 😀

I stumbled across this one after finding this Goodreads list of MM Holiday Romances and so you know there is no going back at this point.

I started with this series (because of course it is) since it had the cute illustrated covers I’ve come to appreciate as I’ve read more mm romances this year. There’s something about being able to fill in your own details when the covers are illustrated. I mean sure, the chiseled abs are nice but let’s at least get some variety going!

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Books

Book 621: Knit Tight (Portland Heat #4) – Annabeth Albert

Geoff W

And now I’m FINALLY to the book that started this binge and it was worth the wait. I was going to use “weight” for yarn weight but thought it might work so you get this awkward follow up.

Albert takes her characters even further away from your standard white male could be mistaken for straight romcom lead. We have Brady, the bisexual barista taking care of his four siblings after his parents untimely deaths, and Ev, the yarn store owner’s dedicated nephew who has come back to Portland because she’s dying of cancer who was originally sent from his home in Turkey because he was caught making out with a male friend.

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Books

Book 604: Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies – Michael Ausiello

Geoff W

Talk about a gut punch—I knew going in this one was going to be brutal, I mean it’s right there in the full title: Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies, but I was not expecting to cry as much as I did. I’m not talking about a single tear escaping as I gaze wistfully into the distance. I’m talking snot running down my face, holding back sobs, and generally making people uncomfortable around me as I read it.

Yup, you read that right. I didn’t hole in up in my room or stay at home to read this, even with the very clear warning on the cover. I read it in public, on a cruise ship on the way to the Caribbean. Smart right? The timing wasn’t the greatest, but it came in at the library and I’ve been waiting to read it since it appeared on the Towleroad blog, so I figured I would plow through it and I did. I got a chapter or two read on the plane after reading Don’t Be Cruel (#3 & #4) and then blazed through this, snot, tears and all, while laying out by the pool on the ship.

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