Monday, July 06, 2020

Reading Roundup - Second Quarter 2020

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta is a story told in verse of a biracial and queer British kid trying to find himself.  It does contain some racism and homophobia directed at the character, but overall I found it a joyful journey as the main character found his way into the world.  
Leah Johnson's You Should See Me in a Crown was a delightful story of a girl entering into her prom obsessed town's elaborate prom process.  There is a forced outing, but I felt (other than the second hand embarrassment) the characters supported the lead through it.  Also smoochies with the new girl.  
Something to Talk About by Meryl Wisner is a story about Hollywood and the slowest of burns because gosh these characters are so delightfully confused by their feelings.  There is some workplace sexual harassment.  
He's Come Undone anthology has five buttoned up dudes being unraveled by feelings, so if that is your jam, you should likely have this.  
Rick by Alex Gino is a middle grade that I thoroughly enjoyed about figuring out that maybe your grandpa is like a cool person, and also that maybe the person you thought was your best friend isn't really the best friend for you.  
Loveboat Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen is a story about being away from strict parents and the freedom and danger of all of that.  There is some revenge porn, along with some references to racist sports teams.  
We Unleash the Merciless Storm by Tehlor Key Mejia is a second book in a duology.  It switches POV and I found the story of trying to live up the ideals you and your team have sacrificed so much to serve, really compelling.  Also there are smoochies. 
Brittney Morris' Slay was a fascinating look at gaming.  So many of the big gaming books (Warcross excepted) have dude, and often even white dude main characters.  So the idea of a gaming world created by a Black girl character for Black characters and what happens when the rest of the world finds out, was really fascinating.  Also, the game has a Mambo Sauce card.  
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid is just great.  There are so many layers to the story of a Black woman working as a nanny to a white woman and the stories people tell about themselves and too themselves, and what happens when those are challenged.  Also, the children in there are delightfully rendered.  
Chemistry by Weike Wang is a book I tried to thank several people for recommending to me, and none of them claimed credit.  It is a story of a grad student trying to figure out her life using logic and logic is failing because human nature is not always logical.  She is kind of a mess, but I found it a fascinating journey.