LGBTQIA+

Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One

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by Maggie Horne
First sentence: “I’ve been told that it’s impossible to know everything, but I think I’ve found a loophole.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: This talks about sexual harassment and bullying, and has adults who don’t listen to/believe children. That might be triggering for some. It’s in the Middle-Grade section (grades 3-5) of the bookstore but might be more appropriate for the older end.

The only thing Hazel Hill has looked forward to the whole of her seventh-grade year was the speech competition. She lost out in sixth grade to Ella Quinn, but this year Hazel knows she will win. However, she is thrown off her objective one day when Tyler – a dude in her homeroom class – tells her that Ella Quinn, whom he has just broken up with (again), told him that she had a crush on Hazel. Which sends Hazel into a panic: she hasn’t told anyone she was gay! Is this real? What’s going on with Ella?

The answer is that Tyler has been sexually harassing Ella, and she’s trying to deal with it. As Hazel becomes friends with Ella (and her best friend Riley), she decides that Something Needs to Be Done about Tyler. The problem is that no adults are listening to or believing them.

It’s a bit more complex than that, and it has more to do with Hazel learning to have friends again, but that’s the gist. A boy is making girls’ lives difficult and adults don’t believe the girls, because they’re “just kids.”

I really loved this one. I’m always here for books about fierce girls, and this one is a good one. I liked the tone that the book took, and the focus on Hazel learning to be a friend helps ease the hardness of the subject matter. I loved Hazel’s relationship with her parents, as well as her acceptance of her own sexuality (even if she’s not ready to be out, yet). There are funny bits and happy bits, and it’s just an affirming book. Such a good read.

Audiobook: All In

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by Billie Jean King, Johnette Howard, and Maryanne Vollers
Read by Billie Jean King
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: King talks about difficult subjects including sexism, discrimination, her affair, and eating disorders. It’s in the Sports section of the bookstore.

In this memoir, King writes of how she got into tennis, her struggles for equal treatment in the sport for women, her winning championships and being number one in the world, as well as her winning the infamous “Battle of the Sexes”. She talks about coming to terms with her sexuality as well as broadening her activism. It covers her life up to the present, including her marriage to her long-time partner Ilana Kloss.

I picked this one up not because I had any real affection for King, but because I was looking for something different to listen to and was in the mood for a sports book. I found it interesting – it’s not just a history of King’s life, it’s a history of women in professional sports, of the evolution of tennis in America, of the history of Women’s, Civil, and LGBTQ+ Rights. If I can say anything, it’s this: King has been around for a long time (she was born in 1943) and has seen and done and been involved in a lot. She wasn’t particularly fantastic as a narrator; I sped it up so she’d read at a speed that I could tolerate, but I did appreciate hearing the emotion in her voice when she talked about certain subjects. She was very frank about her life, her mistakes, her evolution, and her path to a very fulfilling life. I did like hearing about the other players on the tennis tour, especially when she got to ones I recognized (say around the 1980s), and I did enjoy hearing her view on her personal and professional battles.

It’s not my usual read, but I liked it well enough.

The Fragile Threads of Power

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by V. E. Schwab
First sentence: “It came in handy, being small.”
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Others in the series: A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, A Conjuring of Light
Release date: September 26, 2023
Review copy provided by the publisher. 
Content: There is a lot of violence (as with any Schwab book, really), and some swearing (including a few f-bombs). It will be in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

A lot is going on in this book. Let’s see if I can sum it up properly. It’s seven years after the events in A Conjuring of Light. Kell is still without magic (sorry: spoilers). Rhy is the king of Arnes, but there is growing unrest in London and the whisperings of a group – The Hand – that wants to overthrow the kingdom. Lila and Kell are on a boat, being pirates (excuse me: privateers). And then there’s the new characters: Kosika, who is the child Antari queen of White London, and who has the ghost of Holland to guide her as she slowly (and somewhat fanatically) tries to wake White London back up. And Tess (my favorite!), who, much like Alucard, can see magic, except she has the unique talent of being able to fix the broken threads. She is on the run, in hiding from a father who wants to abuse her power, and she unwittingly (and somewhat unwillingly) gets caught up in The Hand’s scheme. 

Whew. It’s a lot of book. 

I tried reading it without revisiting the first series, and honestly? It didn’t take. There are a lot of flashbacks in this book – perhaps too many; sometimes it felt like Schwab was just giving fan service – and I wasn’t enjoying it. But, then I went back and re-read the other three, and then came back to this book. It sat much better, and I enjoyed it a lot more. I do wish Schwab would have spent less time on the flashbacks (or maybe did a series of short stories? a novella, perhaps?) and more time on the actual plot – the Hand and their machinations. I didn’t get enough of Tess until nearly the end. And there’s a twist that I’m not entirely sure I like. 

That said, Schwab is a gifted storyteller, and it’s quite lovely to be back in this rich world. For all my complaints, there’s a lot of good in the book. And yes, I will most likely read the next one.

Audiobook: Kiss Her Once for Me

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by Alison Cochrun
Read by: Natalie Naudus
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: It’s a romance, so there are sexytimes. And lots and lots of kissing. Plus swearing, including f-bombs. It’s in the romance section of the bookstore.

Ellie Oliver had one perfect day. It was Christmas Eve, and she was sad that her mother (again) wouldn’t visit her in Portland. She was about to start her dream job. Then, during a snowstorm, she met the perfect woman and spent the perfect day. A year later, though, Ellie’s life is a mess: she was fired from the perfect job, she’s working as a barista in a dive of a coffee shop, and worst of all: she had her heart broken by the perfect woman. So when the landlord of the coffee shop suggests a fake engagement so he can inherit $2 million (and give her 10%) she jumps at the chance. The catch? His sister is said perfect woman who broke Ellie’s heart. In a crazy, event-filled week at the family’s winter cabin, Ellie has to make a choice: the safe, fake marriage and money for true love.

(You can guess which one she chooses.)

The thing about romance books is that it’s the characters that pull you in and keep you interested. Readers basically know how the plot is going to go. And this one, my friends, has some excellent characters. From Ellie herself to the fantastic love interest, Jack, to the high and/or stoned grandmothers. It’s all a lot of fun. And the narrator is just sublime. So, even though I read a Christmas book in July, it was totally worth it. Such fun, such delight, such adorableness.

The Guncle

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by Steven Rowley
First sentence: “All right, here goes nothing.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: Some swearing, including multiple f-bombs, talk of death and addiction, and off-screen sex. It also deals really frankly with death and grief. It’s in the Adult Fiction section of the bookstore.

Patrick O’Hara is a retired TV star. He had his moment, he was famous, and he made his money. And now he’s living in Palm Springs, happily away from the world. Except it’s not happy – he’s still mourning the death of his partner, Joe (a drunk driver hit them, and Patrick is still wary about getting behind the wheel of his car), and so when his best friend (and sister-in-law) dies, he’s completely wrecked. Except that his brother, Sara’s husband, tells Patrick that he’s addicted to painkillers and needs rehab and that he wants Patrick to take care of his two kids. Which, of course, Patrick refuses… until he doesn’t. At first, being the guardian of 9-year-old Maisie and 6-year-old Grant is almost too much for Patrick, but over the weeks, he learns how to handle everything.

That’s really all there is to this book. But, it’s also not all there is. Both Patrick and the kids are grieving, and it’s their path to figuring out how to live without the people they love in their lives. It’s Patrick growing and learning, and opening up to connection again. It’s being fun and silly in the summer heat and making memories that will last. So, it’s not just the plot; it’s the characters and their individual paths that make this book really enjoyable. It was charming and funny, while also being serious and open about grief and grieving.

I really enjoyed it quite a lot.

Audiobook: Big Gay Wedding

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by Byron Lane
Read by Noah Galvin
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, some tasteful on-screen foreplay, and a giant, graphic, naked gay wedding cake. There is also homophobia, including the use of the other f-word. It’s in the fiction section of the bookstore.

There is a farm in rural Louisiana called the Polite Society Farm. It’s run by Chrissie (I’m not sure if that’s spelled right) Durang, whose husband passed away a couple years back. She’s made do, but she’s hoping that her son Barnett, who is coming home for a visit, will take over so she can retire. The problem is that Barnett isn’t coming home to help his mother out. He’s coming home to get married. To his future husband, Ezra. And his mother doesn’t know yet.

It seems trite to say “hilarity ensues” but hilarity really does ensue. From Chrissy spite-eating all of Ezra’s mushroom-laced chocolate and getting high as a kite to the side characters (Ezra’s family! Pawpaw!) to just the hugeness and over-the-top-ness of the wedding, this one had me guffawing (seriously) while listening. But there’s some depth to it. Chrissy’s not happy with her son being gay, living in Los Angeles, or marrying a man. She’s a homophobe (as was her dead husband), and she learns and grows to accept both her son and his lover. It’s quite lovely to see. The town’s pretty homophobic as well, but there are some bright spots and learning lessons. And, if the sheep death at the end (spoiler, but not much of one) didn’t have me tearing up.

The audiobook is spectacular. Galvin does a fantastic job with the characters and keeping the book flowing and embracing the crazy. I’m not sure I would have laughed half as much if it weren’t for the audiobook.

So, yeah, highly highly recommended. So much fun.

Wolfsong

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by TJ Klune
First sentence: “I was twelve when my daddy put a suitcase by the door.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: July 4, 2023
Review copy pilfered from the ARC shelves at work.
Content: There is a lot of violence, swearing, and sex (on-screen and talked about). There is mention of child abuse and pedophilia. It will be in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Ox Matheson has spent most of his life believing he was nothing – it’s what his father told him, after all. But then, at age 16, he meets 10-year-old Joe Bennett, and the whole Bennet clan, and Ox’s life is forever changed. Over the 10 years that this book takes place, Ox and Joe grow into each other, as Joe grows into manhood, and Ox learns more about the Bennett family and their werewolf ways (not sure if that’s a spoiler, sorry). Additionally, the wolf clan will fight a rogue wolf, one who blames Joe’s dad for the death of his family, and who will stop at nothing to hurt the Bennetts. This will shape not only Ox and Joe and their relationship, but the whole town they live in. 

On the one hand: while this is early Klune (it’s a re-issue of his first book), there are still some elements of his writing in there that I love. it was very funny at points, and Klune has this way of writing characters that are just good at their core. Ox is one of those characters, and I really enjoyed spending time with him. 

On the other hand, there was a LOT of violence. A lot. It got to the point whenever one character threatened to show up, I had to put the book down because I knew people – often children – would be hurt. And if you ever wondered if Klune could write a very graphic but also very hot gay sex scene, the answer is: yes, he can. But it was also 500 pages of angst and violence and werewolves, and I’m just not sure I want to read the three more books in the series. 

So, while I liked this one, I didn’t love it the way I love Klune’s other books. I’m glad I read it, though.

Audiobook: Darkhearts

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by James L. Sutter
Read by Ramon de Ocampo
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Release date: June 6, 2023
Content: There is a lot of swearing, including quite a few f-bombs, talk of sex, and some tasteful on-screen sex. It will be in the Teen section of the bookstore.

In middle school, David started a band – Darkhearts – with his friends Eli and Chance. They had some success playing gigs in the Seattle area, where they lived, but after a while, David got annoyed with Eli and Chance hogging the spotlight and so quit the band. However, after he left, Darkhearts got huge. Like super huge. And David’s held a grudge ever since because he feels he missed out. 

But, Chance is back in town – Eli died of an overdose, and Chance came for the funeral and to regroup – and wants to reconnect with David. At first, David goes along with it grudgingly, but after a while he realizes something: he really likes Chance. Like really likes Chance. Is he going to be able to get past everything else – Chance’s fame, his own resentment, his father’s concern – and be able to throw himself into this relationship? Does he even want to? 

This was so incredibly delightful. The characters, the depection of a teenage boy band, the cool things they went. David’s best freind, Rachel. The fluidity of his sexuality, and the total non-issue that it was. The romance – and while it kind of followed the beats of a romance novel, I appreciated David’s growth over the whole thing. De Ocampo was a fabulous narrator as well; pulling me into a story that I may have dismissed in print. 

Highly recommended.

Audiobook: Forget Me Not

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by Alyson Derrick
Read by Natalie Naudus
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is homophobia, overt racism, mention of teenage drinking, and swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It’s in the Teen section (grades 9+) of the bookstore.

Stevie and Nora are in love. They have been secretly dating for two years – secretly because they live in a conservative town, in conservative families, who – they know – would kick them out for being gay. So, they date in secret and have made a plan to get out and go to California, so they can live together, out in the open. 

But, as they were together in the woods one day, Stevie has a bad fall, with a bad head injury, and after two weeks in an induced coma, she woke up with no memories of the past two years. Which means she has no memory of her relationship with Nora.  

When I first started listening to this one I thought it was super contrived: who loses just two years of their memories? But the more I listened, the more I got it. Derrick is exploring some interesting things here. Like: if you were acculturated to believe you were straight, and forgot about your discovery of your sexuality, will you be straight or gay? It’s gay, of course, but I thought it was fascinating how Derrick got there after the accident. Also: I felt so much for Nora – the one person who knew everything, and yet couldn’t say anything. I also found it interesting the way Derrick portrayed the parents. Stevie’s dad is a Fox-news watching mechanic, so I formed Opinions about him. He didn’t do much to refute that, until the end. I’m not sure I believe it, but it’s there. It was a fascinating exploration. 

It helped that Naudus is an excellent narrator, keeping me engaged and propelling the story forward. This one would be a good book for a book group; there’s a lot to think about and discuss here. And I quite liked it.

Audiobook: Ander & Santi Were Here

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by Jonny Garza Villa
Read by: Avi Roque
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is a lot of swearing, including many f-bombs, marijuana use, and mention of sex (it’s not quite on-screen, but not entirely off- either)

Ander is taking a gap year after they graduated high school to figure things out. They’ve been accepted into a prestigious art school in Chicago, but for right now, they’re doing an internship with a non-profit in their hometown of San Antonio. But then their parents and grandmother hire Santi at their taquira, and Ander’s world turns upside down. But it’s not just first love: Santi is an undocumented immigrant, which poses all kinds of complications for their relationship.

I really enjoyed this one, especially on audio. The narrator was fantastic, and kept me interested the whole way through. But, it was also about art and finding one’s voice (can you find a voice in art?) and expressing the true version of oneself. It’s about this country’s messed-up immigration system. But it was also about family, and being there for and supporting each other.

I loved how effortless that Latinx elements were, and how much Villa just sprinkled it with Spanish. it felt very authentic and real, and I could just imagine Ander and Santi at different places around San Antonio. An excellent read.