Books

Book 1,041: Would You Like to Be a Family? – koyama

Apparently, there are three stories in this one short collection, and I only remember one, so that doesn’t bode well. The biggest struggle for me was the style. I’m not the biggest fan of the super stretched out/tall bodies and super angular faces. I think it just makes them all look creepy.

The story itself was actually very cute (or least the one I remember) Takemura is a shy loner who had a bad bullying experience in high school, so he keeps to himself, but his coworker Natsui is outgoing and has tried to engage him before. They meet one evening in the grocery store and Takemura finds out Natsui has a kid and can’t get out of a dinner invite.

Before you know it, they’re all hanging out all the time. There’s even an awkward moment where Takemura has to go pick up the kid (cannot remember their names) and it goes well even though Takemura is SOO nervous. In the end the kid is the one that’s like hey you need to move in here, we’re always happier when you’re here. I’m 99% sure the book was sex free and that anything that did or didn’t happen was 100% off page and it was kind of refreshing knowing how edgy manga/yaoi/BL can get.

Recommendation: It’s a cute read. I’m a little concerned I have ZERO recollection of the other stories, but the entire book was pretty short, so they must’ve been even shorter. Illustration style wasn’t my jam, but I could see where others like it as there are quite a few in this style.

Books

Books 1,037-1,040: I Think Our Son Is Gay, Vols. 1-4 (I Think #1-4) – Okura

Y’all, I can’t even tell you how adorable these books are. Think Heartstopper, but without the getting together (they’re younger than Nick and Charlie) and the beautiful acceptance of My Brother’s Husband and you’ll start to see where these fall.

These are told from mom Tomoko’s point of view, and she is the most loving and accepting person. She’s started to note that Hiroki, her oldest son, slips up saying “he’s handsome” or “my husband” and she just goes with the flow. She doesn’t ask questions or ask for declarations, she just let’s it slide and tries to make an accepting home for her son.

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Books

Book 1,035: Bloom – Kevin Panetta & Savanna Ganucheau

I forgot how beautiful the graphics are and how sparse and yet well written the story is in this graphic novel. I read Bloom back in 2019 and adored it, but re-reading it this time and knowing the gist of the story allowed me to truly luxuriate in the graphics and the relationship of Ari and Hector.

As part of my graphic novel/manga binge I was always going to revisit this, but when Panetta and Ganucheau announced there was going to be a follow up, I 100% knew I was going to reread this at least once—if not multiple times—in the lead up to its release, which was originally projected for Fall 2023 but is still TBD.

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Books

Books 1,033 & 1,034: #Hockey & Sticks and Scones (Check, Please! 1 & 2) – Ngozi Ukazu

Toward the end of January 2024, I was coming out of an intense January term course and entering my final semester of grad school and I needed a break so I leaned HEAVILY into graphic novels. It started a random evening when I passed the bookshelf in our bedroom where my graphic novels live on the top shelf. I was like “OH I could read all of #Hockey! tonight as a palate cleanser.”

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Books

Book 1,032: Something Like Summer (Something Like . . . #1) – Jay Bell

I have had this book on my radar for as long as I can remember. Definitely long before the 2017 adaptation (which I still need to watch), but I’m not sure when or how I heard of it. I’m sure it was back in the early 2010s not long after it was originally written, and I was desperate to find LGBT love stories. What a world we’re in now where there’s a plethora of all genres and all tastes!

Something Like Summer is the tale of the tumultuous relationship between openly gay Ben who is a total nerd and artsy and the new kid Tim who’s moved to town and immediately falls in with the popular kids. What starts out as an unrequited crush quickly turns into a DL friends with benefits and Bell takes it from there through a lifetime.

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