Welcome to Litsy!

Almost 4⭐️
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This equally humorous and heartbreaking memoir is told in the format of Questions & Answers (essays) supposedly taken from the author's job as a queer advice columnist. Flashbacks to Brammer's youth in rural Oklahoma and his early experiences as a gay man serve as the packaging for most of his advice. I was quite moved by his honesty, vulnerability, and insight, but I think a more standard format would have served his story better.

John Paul Brammer is publishing a new children‘s book called Samara. He wrote: “Samara is, among other things, a love letter to those weird kids sitting in the very back of the classroom with their heads in the clouds, who doodle and take cracks at poetry and find comfort and refuge in language.” 🥳🥳🥳

John Paul Brammer is an advice columnist for Grinder that starts off as a spoof and then gains traction as more and more letters come in prompting him to cull from his personal life leading to shared universal experiences that are super self aware, funny at times, and touching at others, all well written which means that after this long ass sentence: It‘s a pick!!!! So glad queer books like this exist. 🏳️‍🌈

I liked this a lot! Great writing, very funny, plenty of bittersweet growing-up stories. The author‘s audio narration was a bit deadpan in a way that I really enjoyed. Not quite as light as I'd assumed it might be based on the (fun and awesome) cover, but all the better for it.

I had never heard of John Paul Brammer before but I'm glad I listened to this one. Nothing earth shattering here but he had an interesting, if not sometimes sad, back story. He's a mixed (Mexican and White) gay advice columnist who shares funny stories about his struggles with his ethnicity as well as his sexuality.

Enjoyed this but not sure if it‘s advice so much as vignettes some readers can benefit from. CW for discussions of bullying and suicide. I was caught off guard by the second topic in particular. While I found those parts hard to listen to, I would definitely read more from him.

All I can say is “wooooooow.” I am not a gay man, but I can soundly say, even in light of that, this book is so relatable to the human condition and beautifully written. BRB currently telling everyone I know to read this.

Great memoir written in the form of advice columns. Brammer is such a good story teller, even tho his stories are almost common place in the experience of someone growing up gay, he makes them feel new and fresh. The analysis and “take home message” he leaves us with on each chapter is inspiring 🤍 def recommend this short, funny read.

i liked it this better than i thought i would. this was honest, funny, and worth the read. [3.5]

A sunny afternoon spent at Books in Bloom!

“My present criteria expected me to play sports and not cry, so I was failing”
“ I think that‘s why it‘s important that we express ourselves: you never know who might be listening and who needs to hear you”
“There is a time for self-help and a time for self-helplessness”

Current book and morning cacao to try and wake up today.

#lgbtq

This cover art 😍
Dear Abby-style questions for John Paul, an American with Mexican heritage. As the subtitle promises, readers get a glimpse into his life including a bit of his childhood, coming of age, and early experiences with sexuality. Funny at times, self depreciating, and covers the hard stuff too. Only complaint — a bit too short! I would have gladly listened to more of his stories!

I did not think I was going to like this, despite liking JP Brammer, because the first chapter felt a bit rocky ? But then I really got into the form and then I LOVED it.

Nonfiction continues to put out fantastic reads.

Hola Papi was a blast to read! Although most people are looking for an advice type book on coming out and accepting yourself, its more an memoir with a collection of essays on Brammer's experiences through his life and hia examination on race, loving and accepting yourself, sexuality, relationships, and constant change in life. I found this memoir to be relatable, campy, funny, honest, and heart-felt.

This memoir-in-essays is by a queer, mixed-race kid from Oklahoma who became the Grindr advice columnist. Structured as responses to letter-writers, ¡Hola Papi! hinges on how much meaning John Paul Brammer is able to make from the trauma, mistakes, & experiences of his youth—and how self-aware he is, and this is where it didn‘t work for me. A recurring question is who are you to give advice, and I didn‘t have an answer when I turned the last page.

The title and cover of this book, and indeed the description that put it on my radar, suggest a fun, boisterous, funny discussion of life and advice for living as a gay man (a gay Mexican, as the author calls himself). Instead, it‘s straight memoir with little to no variation in emotional impact, making it fall flat. I was disappointed. 😕

This was a lot more serious and somber than I was expecting. Just okay, but only because I read SO MANY memoirs that my memoir expectations are pretty high. Also author‘s narration was a little monotone. #BorrowNotBuy

Everything about this title and the cover art has me saying sí sí ?♥️??#Scribd Have you seen this one @Megabooks ?? #PrideMonth ?️‍?#OwnVoices

This was solidly ok. I think the best part is the cover.

#BookSpinBingo square 17
@TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 6/8/2021

Biracial Hispanic columnist shares his insight into relationships, sex and gay dating in this hilarious part self-help part memoir of growing up in the heartland.

Hoping to get this finished to meet the Indie Next deadline on the 29th...

A memoir filled with considerations of identity & authenticity - as a boy, as a gay man, as Mexican-American, as someone with depression - framed as advice column answers. I‘ve followed the author on twitter for a while. Like all my favorite agony aunts, his approach is empathetic & a touch humorous, with the occasional perfect phrase I didn‘t know I needed - all of which shines through in his memoir. #ARC

“Oh goodness, screw life.... I‘ve triangulated mine in such a way that the sex app I got addicted to shortly after coming out became my freelance employer when I accidentally became an advice columnist under the racialized moniker that white dudes liked to throw at me when they were horny.” #ARC