December 2024 What are you reading?

[Bill]

I've read several fantasy books by T.J. Klune and enjoyed them. Now I'm reading a non-fantasy one - John & Jackie

[Matilda]

Currently reading the Lincoln Highway and I don't want it to end! Its heart-warming. Would recommend this month!

[CJ]

This morning I'm finishing up Dawn by Octavia Butler and will then read Annie Bot by Sierra Greer next. Both are library loans I want to take back this weekend when I pick up my giant get-me-through-the-holidays haul of new library loans.

Also will soon be reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens for another group's BotM. Never read it and because I have an Audible sub, I have access to Tim Curry's audiobook of it. Curry is hands down my favorite audiobook narrator and it's such a loss he can no longer record audiobooks due to his health.

Other upcoming reads: As Many Ships as Stars by Weyodi Oldbear, which will finish up my personal Indigenous Writers challenge I started last month, and Ice by Anna Kavan which is part of my personal end-of-the-year tbr clean-up.

[Lee]

The Sweetest Oblivion
This was my first Danielle Lori book, and I absolutely adored it.

I impulsively ordered this book, captivated by the beautiful cover, and I'm so glad I took the chance. "The Sweetest Oblivion" features a charming yet feisty heroine, Elena Abelli, and a ruthless yet passionate mafia don, Nico Russo.

The slow burn romance is my favorite part of the book; it's so well-crafted. The tension between Elena and Nico is palpable. Despite knowing they shouldn't be drawn to each other, their attraction is undeniable, and it's impossible not to root for them. I appreciated how their initial perceptions of each other gradually shifted as they became better acquainted.

Danielle Lori introduces a unique twist to the arranged marriage trope, which I won't spoil, but I enjoyed the unexpected turns. This book distinguishes itself within the mafia romance genre with its exquisite writing. A quick note—I absolutely loved the small illustrations and quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I didn't give it five stars only because the ending felt a bit hurried, but it remains one of my most cherished reads.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book (and the entire series) for its endearing characters, perfect tension, and exquisite writing. To sum up the book in one sentence: it's the most delightful slow-burn romance I've ever read.

[Jethro99]

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
…inspired by the movie Wicked. I’m deep diving into the world of Oz. Desperate for more Wicked content.

[Sarah-Hope]

The In-Between Bookstore was a huge disappointment for me. The idea—trans man meets his (perceived as female by others) teenage self self. But the adult man is every bit as whiny and self-obsessed as his teen self is—maybe more so. And, yes, he grows and learns, but I just don't need that kind of insecurity and self-hate.

My *** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sarah-Hope]

The Case of the Missing Maid The central character in The Case of the Missing Maid is Harriet Morrow—who I'm hoping will stick around to become the central character in a series. She's a twenty-one-year-old lesbian (though I'm not sure she even knows this word) living in 1898 Chicago, struggling to raise her younger brother and desperate to move on to a more interesting career than the one she's been stuck in: being a numbers cruncher (a *woman* numbers cruncher, so don't get any ideas about respect, recognition of intelligence, or a living wage).

My **** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sarah-Hope]

The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes: And the Unwritten History of the Trans Experience At a time when trans people across the U.S. are being vilified, legislated against, and assaulted, The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes offers a message simultaneously hopeful and frustrating. The case show us what may be possible for trans people--what was possible for one trans person--but also demonstrated the ways that victories can be buried.

My **** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/

[Sarah-Hope]

A Last Supper of Queer Apostles: Selected Essays
A Last Supper of Queer Apostles gathers together a collection of Pedro Lemebel's essays (crónicas). Lemebel (1952-2015) is/was a brilliant writer whose work focused on the marginal communities of Chile: gay men, the poor, sex workers, and transsexuals. His work is angry, inventive, playful, keenly observing. Reading his work is rather like watching someone juggling fire, with the same uneasy potential for beauty or disaster.

My ***** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sarah-Hope]

The Resurrectionist
Imagine a Venn diagram with a circle for mystery; another for history of medicine; another for gay love; another for "resurrectionists," who at one time supplied medical schools with cadavers by digging up the recently buried; and then one more for notorious killers Burke and Hare (because, if you just kill people and immediately sell the bodies to medical schools, you don't have to do all that laborious digging). That little spot where all five circles overlap? That's where A. Rae Dunlap's The Resurrectionist fits in.

My **** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sarah-Hope]

Kate Wiseman's The Red Tunic tells the story of a pair of twins—male and female. As children, they discover a shared penchant for playroom cross-dressing that they indulge in as often as they can. Unfortunately, they live in the early part of the 20th Century and WWI is about to begin. They both know that Alfie will be conscripted and that he won't survive the war, so Nina takes things into her own hands, stealing Alfie's ID and conscription papers and presenting herself as him for induction. By the time Alfie realizes what she's done it's to late to set things right. If Nina's taking his place, that makes Alfie a deserter, a capital crime. So, Alfie become Nina working as a war nurse. This sounds like an unlikely set-up, and the longer the switch goes on the more likely discovery seems, but Wiseman has made these characters real enough and their stories rich enough that one follows her tale willingly.

My ***** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Charlie]

I'm reading The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall! So good so far!

[Fynn]

I'm currently reading a whole lot of books, but the one I'm mainly focusing on is Zami: A New Spelling of my Name by Audre Lorde. Lorde created a new genre for this book called "biomythography," which (according to Wikipedia lol) combines "history, biography, and myth." I love her storytelling and poetic language, so I've been really enjoying it so far.

[Sarah-Hope]

Just finished Rebellious Grace, the latest in Jeri Westerson's King's Fool mystery series, set during the reign of Henry VIII. As the title suggests, this volume is set during the Pilgrimage of Grace, a movement to return England to Catholicism after the execution of Anne Boleyn.

I'm adding this title to the discussion because Will Somers, the central character, is bisexual.

My **** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Max]

Working on finishing Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros in preparation for Onyx storm

[Matthew]

Just finished reading ‘Pole Position’ by Rebecca Caffery - not exactly a sports fan myself let alone motor sports but this enemies to lovers trope with the background of F1 racing was certainly a fun read 😊

[Bill]

I'm reading Him by Geoff Ryman

[Sarah-Hope]

Just finished Daughters of the Nile and have that feeling of intellectual and emotional overwhelm one gets from a truly exceptional read. This novel tells the story of three Egyptian feminist women, each a different generation within a single family. Being able to see Egypt (and Iran and Saudi Arabia and Britain) over the 1950s-2020s through the eyes of these fierce women who often find themselves at odds with one another is a powerful experience.

My ***** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[CJ]

Currently reading for the first time one of the most popular science fiction novels, Hyperion by Dan Simmons and since this is a safe space for this kind of criticism, allow me to go off:

I read the first part (this novel is like a collection of novellas) and it's about Catholic priest who goes a planet called Hyperion where he encounters a humanoid species that Simmons describes with very pejorative, ableist and racist terms. The priest proceeds to obsess over the humanoid species' sex, genitals and ability to sexually reproduce. It's so fucking gross. It's like a TERF's social media feed, but from 30 years ago.

So after reading the first part, I googled Mr Simmons to learn he is a right-winger, Islamophobe and queerphobe, which means he's probably on the gender critical bandwagon too. So disappointing. I hope the rest of the novel isn't this deprived, because as a big SF fan I would at least like to understand why this novel is so popular.

[Carl]

Just finished reading Managing And Other Lies by Willow Heath. A collection of 6 short stories through a trans perspective. Let's support our trans writers!

[sunny ౨ৎ˚₊ (hiatus)]

i'm halfway through kiss a villain and nearly finished with captive prince vol three!

[bruno]

Jethro99 wrote: "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
…inspired by the movie Wicked. I’m deep diving into the world of Oz. Desperate for more Wicked content."

I, too, just read it because of the movie!

[bruno]

I recently read a graphic novel by a queer artist, namely My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Kabi Nagata. It recalls the story of a Japanese mangaka (the author of the graphic) throughout her self-discovering journey as a lesbian and the feelings and experiences that follow it. Personally, I didn't find it as amusing or moving as I'd expected it to —maybe I had overly high expectations. In the end, though, it is valuable to get to know others' experiences in-depth, specially when they take place in a different culture from one's own.

[Bill]

I'm ending the month, and year by reading a forgotten gay classic Two People by Donald Windham,

[CJ]

Bill wrote: "I'm ending the month, and year by reading a forgotten gay classic Two People by Donald Windham,"

Wow, I never have heard of that. I've added to my Kindle shopping list!

[Richard]

I deliberately left this one off my Yule/Booksgiving list because I worry about babyqueer kids getting gifts that might cause them trouble with intolerant elders:
The Book of Awesome Queer Heroes: How the LGBTQ+ Community Changed the World for the Better , which got 4.5/5* here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...