so-soBilled as a “queer, feminist Western,” this novel is full of supposedly captivating characters but I wasn‘t totally sold. Never once did I feel like the narrative straddled me, stared me in the eye, and let down its hair. It all felt a little fast and loose. I wanted something deep and tight. I galloped along the surface of the text and was happy when I found myself at the end. Like Bridget, I‘m eager to move on to something else.
Fake dating on a reality show? Sounds like a fun twist on an old trope.
pickNot sure I‘d find a book I loved more than The Great Believers this year but this may just have pipped it. If you loved Yale Tishman in The Great Believers then be prepared to adore Sidney Ellwood. This book is a love story set mainly in the trenches of WW1. The battle scenes are graphic and the author makes no apologies for bringing the brutality of trench warfare to life but the moments between are tender and full of a forbidden love. Read it!
pickThe three “disorderly men” of the title are detained in a police raid of a gay bar, charged with disorderly conduct. It is pre-Stonewall, early 1960s NYC when being gay meant a lot of shame, rejection, secrets, and ostracism. We follow the personal stories of each man as their lives eventually intersect. It is a sobering reminder of the cumulative emotional damage that occurs when gay people shoulder the burden of a forced closeted existence.
pickI am a big fan of RuPaul so I really enjoyed this one. He had an interesting life and I learned a lot about his upbringing. I was disappointed that he did not touch on his relationship with Michelle Visage, or with his Drag Race show. Hopefully that will be covered in another book.
#LongDistanceLove 💕 ✈️ 🌊 ❤️🤍💙
#FeelinTheLove 🍓🍰💌🧸💝🍫❣️🎀
#BookNerd 🤓📚💙
pickThis is not an easy read but it is an inspiring one. Ma-Nee experienced multiple episodes of violence and abuse, racism, homophobia, and homelessness. Her ability to forgive and to release the bitterness and anger towards those who caused her harm is beautiful and hard won. This may not be the best written narrative but it is an amazing one. #CanadaReads
pickI don't know that I can even review this one. Carmen Maria Machado has presented the most clever, vulnerable, and researched memoir I have yet to come across. The realities of abuse as chronicled are horrifying but the force of the storytelling is absolutely inspiring. In awe of this, actually.
