Welcome to Litsy!

#pridebookrec #yapride
If it is good enough for Roxane Gay....😍
I liked how this book calls out white feminism in my hometown.
But mostly it is about a queer young woman trying to find herself and striking out on her own, only to realize the pedestal we place some on we shouldn't.

“Read because you are tired of secrets.”

Post 3/4. Like the blurb on the front cover says, this book was "F***ING OUTSTANDING"!! I had to resist the urge to highlight and underline every sentence, I was so enraptured from start to finish ? I loved that there's spanish slang throughout. I loved that the main character is a round, brown, "queer Puerto Rican babe" and I love that it takes place mostly in Portland, one of my favorite cities.

I know it‘s almost the end of July but I was scrolling and realized I never updated my June card, I missed one book so didn‘t get a blackout but ended up reading it first this month so I‘m proud of that! #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Ain‘t that the truth!

I intended to read this book last June, but then I had to overhaul the curriculum for 4 courses & Juliet sat on the back burner for a year.

She‘s Bold. Modern. Messy. Insightful. Intersectional. Worthy of your time & attention.

As I suspected, this would be PERFECT for the Feminist Lit class I created but will not get to teach. Hopefully I‘ll be able to fit it in somewhere in the future.

#ya #teachersoflitsy #pride #LGBTQ

This is a great book for any female who is questioning their sexuality, gender, race and/or wants to be a writer. An excellent story about a strong young woman who is finding her own voice while still listening to all the other women's voices in her head (her mom, aunts, cousins, mentor, girlfriends, friends). A true gurl power book that many young women would find empowering to read.

Juliet Milagros Palante is a self-proclaimed closeted Puerto Rican baby dyke from the Bronx. At 19, she comes out to her family and flies to Portland to intern with Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on White feminism and lesbianism. Juliet believes that Harlowe will help her figure things out but she is the one who teaches Harlowe. There is also a cute love story between Juliet and a motorcycle driving librarian, Kira.

I mean, look at that endorsement on the top there, you know it's gonna be good! Juliet's summer journey of personal growth was really wonderful to follow, I just loved her. A little too explain-y at times, but that might be typical for YA? I still recommend.

I did want to read more about her brother. Sequel, please!

Every week, I highlight #LGBTQAuthors as part of #TheRainbowShelf 🏳️‍🌈 Gabby Rivera is the first Latina to write for Marvel Comics. Her works usually address identity and representation of LGBTQ and BIPOC people. She describes herself as writing for all the sweet baby queers and her mom. Rivera also works as an editor for Autostraddle, and launched a podcast in 2020. #LGBTQ #QueerBooks #QueerAuthors

Juliet is 19, a Puerto Rican baby lesbian from the Bronx who is visiting hippie Portland, Oregon for a summer internship. She‘s asking lots of questions and beginning to learn what it means to be a queer brown feminist. Learning what it means to be herself.
#LGBTbooks

A fantastic, affirming, honest, and funny book for young people and the adults in their lives.

I loved the protagonist, the diverse characters, and the artwork. I haven‘t read the original book, but it‘s probably a better format for readers to get more character development and insight. The graphic novel touched on a lot of issues, but didn‘t give enough details.

Reading an ARC of the graphic novel adaption of #JulietTakesaBreath Thanks #NetGalley

And...Bingo!!!

I loved the intersectional feminism explored in this YA book and the openness of MC Juliet as she explores her identity and discovers her voice. At times this felt a bit more like a discussion or college seminar than a novel and I‘ll admit to feeling every year of my privileged white lady middle age but that‘s more than okay.

#BookSpinBingo

“You aren‘t really trying to read, are you?”
I can‘t even with this dude, sometimes 😹🥰
Btw the other cat is under the blanket on the other end of the couch. Under the blanket. In summer. #catsareweird
#catsoflitsy

#FirstLineFridays Not technically the first line - part of the dedication but such a great way to start. 🤎

I loved this story for so many reasons; the characters, the growth of Juliet.. & how I even saw bits of myself a few times throughout the book! Oh & the mention of libraries & librarians had me geeking out!

Juliet is 19; curious about the world, & what it means to be a brown lesbian. Her curiosity & ability to love deeply makes the story engaging. It‘s so beautifully written; readers might find it healing. I did! #juliettakesabreath #gabbyrivera

How awesome is the inside of this book? I love it!

Juliet is 19 and navigating life as a Latina just coming out to her family and trying to discover who she wants to be.

I love all the early 2000‘s pop culture references. I love Juliet‘s curiosity about queerness in all it‘s beautiful forms. I love the light the book shines on white privileged hippie types. I liked the look at different queer communities in Portland and Miami. Good stuff!

With a dedication like this, including an Ani DiFranco quote, I feel like it‘s a good bet I‘ll love this one! Starting now.

“Make No apologies. Fight hard. Love on each other. You are a miracle.”

August TBR...almost certainly too ambitious but HERE WE GO 😎
#juliettakesabreath
#theunwritten
#goodomens
#bondsofbrass
#magicbittermagicsweet
#sweetbitter
#thecoincidenceofcoconutcake
#rollergirl
#thedeep
#asafegirltolove
#thegreatestlovestoryevertold
📚

I ❤ Juliet. And I loved following her coming of age journey, her stumbles and triumphs and questions as she got to know who she was and how she identified at the intersections of her life.

#Booked2020 - YA novel by a POC.
@BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft

#BBRC #YA Purple People Eater @LibrarianRyan @Sarahreadstoomuch

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Nineteen-year-old Juliet is everything I want in a YA lead: smart, flawed and nerdy cool. She leaves her home in the Bronx for an internship in Portland where she spends the summer with several strong, fascinating women. Rivera cleverly weaves in terminology and scenarios to help Juliet - and the reader - as she learns more about herself and life‘s many intersections.

“Gimme all your snackies.” - Champ

#dogsoflitsy

Good morning! Up early. ☕️📖 Everyone else is still sleeping including our sweet pup snoozing next to me on the couch.

Juliet‘s self-exploration during a summer internship in a brand new city was so heartfelt, and I really enjoyed her quirky, honest voice. These characters were all so unique and taught me so much about how to love others better while recognizing my privilege and questioning the status quo. I want to be Juliet‘s BFF! 4/5 stars ✨

4⭐ with notes.

Rivera goes a bit too heavy on the hippy and "human" ling which gives the book a push towards a bit too silly.
That said I enjoyed following Juliet through this journey. This is an excellent book for teens looking to expand their LGBTQAI, feminism and racial awareness and knowledge. Juliet herself is a well rounded character you will want to spend time with. Probably because she is semi autobiographical and Gabby is amazing.

"all the violet tiaras,
braided rosebuds, dill and
crocus twined around your young neck”

#pridemonth #bookflag #lesbian

Another TBR for another Feb readathon! This week is the #contemporaryathon , which means reading present-day realistic fiction, and no I don't know how I'm going to read books for all the readathons I keep joining, but I'm going to have fun trying.

Juliet is spending summer in Portland with her fav feminist author but before leaving she comes out to her parents.

I loved following Juliets journey through her queerness, exploration of feminism, and her struggles with her ethnicity.

This book was truly a joy to read! I never connected with a character more than Juliet especially when she first lands in Portland.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Maybe America just swallowed all of us, including our histories, and spat out whatever it wanted us to remember in the form of something flashy, cinematic, and full of catchy songs. And the rest of us, without firsthand knowledge of civil unrest and political acts of disobedience, just inhaled what they gave us.”

Glossed over in my AP History class too.

This is a problem I‘ve struggled with since I‘ve learned the real history of America.

Where was this book when I was 19? This was a YA crash course in intersectional feminism, a hard look at white-lady bullshit and a self-love-coming-of-age tale. I gobbled this up and now it‘s almost 3 am and my brain is on fire. I want more from Gabby Rivera. I thought this was brilliant and essential and I‘ll probably stop gushing never. Please let this be a sign for the year to come. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Don‘t really know how I feel about this book. I feel like it is an important book to be out there. It explores womanhood, race, sexuality and how it is important to embrace who you really are. This is my 4th completed book in the #24b42020 readathon.

#bookhaul after the PDX book festival makes me excited and anxious! So many new books to read, my TBR list is OUT of control.

Happy Saturday! I have just been informed that All the Books! is the 15th-most popular show about books on Apple Podcasts in the US - of all time! WHUUUTTTTTTTT. 😮
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I thank all of you listeners. I am honored that so many of you trust and enjoy my recommendations, and I can‘t wait to tell you about more! 😘
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And for those of you who don‘t know about the show, it‘s available wherever you download podcasts. YAY BOOKS! ❤️📚❤️

I *mostly* liked this. Once I got over my immediate and very long term annoyance with Juliet (does she ever describe her brother as anything other than chubby? That really bothered me), I enjoyed the book. I didn't think the storytelling aspect of it was particularly strong, but I appreciate what the author is doing. I loved the characters (except possibly Juliet).

Overall, I'd recommend this to teens and anyone wanting to read more #ownvoices.

If I could have any superpower, it would be the ability to stop time, so I could sit and read books indefinitely. But I also have so many questions about this:
◾️
Would I get hungry and still have to eat?
◾️
Would I still require sleep?
◾️
Would everyone else be frozen in time?

Not that I‘ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. 🤣

I‘m here for it 💪🙌

They're the type of boys that writers like Allen Ginsberg fell in love with and bleed out poetry for.

Day 2 of #7covers7days #covercrush

😍😍😍😍

This was a wonderful exploration of self, womanhood, sexuality and race. It was a challenging read at times, in good and necessary ways. Worth it even for readers like me who aren‘t that into YA. #ARC

Thank you so so much for my beautiful handmade bookmarks @Butterflyamore ! I love them!! 🤗

#BookmarkSwap @LibrarianRyan

@GypsyKat I kept wanting to pick this up to read soon after seeing your posts, and I only just read the Preface and I think I‘m hooked! 🙌🏽

This book was so good on so many levels! Aside from the fact that it dealt with(in a very real and accessible way) issues like racism, privilege, feminism, queerness, family, and finding one‘s own voice. It was also wonderfully written. Funny, and touching, and heart reaching, and so raw sometimes that I just could not put it down. This may not be for everyone, but I would strongly recommend it to anyone who‘s interested in opening their minds.

I‘m proud of them for living their lives openly, and learning to be comfortable in their own skin. I‘m proud of them for having the courage to come forward as their true selves, in spite of difficulties that they may face. I choose love and acceptance. And if other people can‘t accept that, then I‘d just assume they don‘t follow me anyway.
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

#LitsyLove #LoveAndAcceptance #Pride

🙌❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Sorry about the excessive posting of quotes. I‘m just loving this book so much!!! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜