ARC, Books

Book 875: Souls Aligned (Tasier #2) – Arian Williams

What a dangerous opening line! For some reason when I said yes to this book, I mean I did read the first one after all, I didn’t realize a chunk of it would be taking place in Boston.*

It’s always a gamble with me when it’s in a town I’ve lived in or have been to frequently. Thankfully, Williams didn’t disappoint, but that’s because she kept everything super vague and general, which I’d rather an author do than screw up something everyone who’s been in the city for more than an hour knows.

Continue reading “Book 875: Souls Aligned (Tasier #2) – Arian Williams”

ARC, Books

Book 871: Just Ash – Sol Santana

When I stumbled across this on NetGalley I knew I wanted to read it.* That book cover has Boston (including where I actually live) on it, it’s an own voices LGBTQIA story, and it happens to be released in October and set in Salem, I mean COME ON how could I NOT request it. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my hopes for it. Maybe they were too high to start because the book started out strong but puttered out by the end.

Just Ash is the story of Ash who has spent their entire life as a boy who happened to have both male and female parts, but in the opening scene gets his period and a series of horrible events follow as he is forced to pretend to be a girl by his parents for some time until he finally sets his foot down.

Continue reading “Book 871: Just Ash – Sol Santana”

ARC, Books

Book 870: Before We Disappear – Shaun David Hutchinson

Full disclosure, I only requested this one because of how adorable Wil is on the cover with that book.* I have no idea why, I was just like awwwww and then I read the premise and was sucked in and so glad I requested a copy!

Jack and Wil are magicians’ assistants and they meet at the Seattle World’s Fair in 1909. They’re both in abusive relationships with their magicians and when they find each other they slowly discover that there is so much more in the world than they ever thought and ultimately, they want to experience it together.

Continue reading “Book 870: Before We Disappear – Shaun David Hutchinson”

Books

Book 869: The Guncle – Steven Rowley

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.

Continue reading “Book 869: The Guncle – Steven Rowley”

Books

Book 865: The Secret to Superhuman Strength – Alison Bechdel

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one, I just knew I would absolutely read it as I’ve read everything else by Bechdel.

I knew it was nonfiction and that it more than likely was going to chronicle her life. I mean, that’s her on the cover AND she’s a serial chronicler of her life and what she’s experienced. With Fun Home being about her dad and their relationship, and Are You My Mother? about her mom and their relationship, I honestly wasn’t sure where she’d go next.

Continue reading “Book 865: The Secret to Superhuman Strength – Alison Bechdel”