Wednesday, February 15, 2023

What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

Towards Zero by Agatha Christie: This was an enjoyable one. I've read enough Christie at this point that the solution wasn't too much of a surprise, but I still didn't put everything together until it was explained, and it was cleverly plotted. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to pick up a typical Christie mystery.

Saga, Vol. 10 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples: I think I may have lost some of my taste for this series. It's just a story of a bunch of hurt people all trying to struggle through, with violence, sex, and terrible parenting decisions. If that feeling is what they were going for, they nailed it. But I didn't enjoy it.

Sex Is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU by Cory Silverberg by Fiona Smyth: This was my January Best of the Bunch. Silverberg is an absolute master at talking about things in the most straightforward, age-appropriate way, and this was perfect for my 8-year-old.

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie: This was not what I expected, and I loved it. At its core, it's a coming-of-age/coming-out story, but it's not formulaic by any means. It's exactly the kind of queer YA that we need out there.

In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner: This was a beautiful book, excellently narrated on audio by Michael Crouch. This book should be read by anyone who thinks that kids from rural areas should simply make it their goal to get out and go somewhere they'll have more opportunities. I'd definitely recommend it to both adult and teen readers.

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Identity, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen: I planned to skim this again in preparation for book club, but instead I ended up rereading the whole thing in two days. There are so many parts of this book that have stayed with me since reading this two and a half years ago, and I reference this book in nearly every conversation I have about asexuality. On behalf of us aces, and for the sake of all your relationships, please pick this one up.

Curse of the Sand Witches by Cara J. Stevens and Mitchell Creeden: The writing is super clunky in this Minecraft graphic novel series, but my 8-year-old enjoys it enough that they're motivated to read it with me and sometimes even read chapters independently, so that is a big win and a reason to continue this series.

I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman: I love how different Oseman's stories are. In this one, by including the perspective of a diehard fan of The Ark as well as one of the members of the band, Oseman gives the reader a more nuanced and comprehensive view of fandom, and the positives and negatives that come with being on either side of the equation. This might not be one of Oseman's best ever, but it's still quite excellent and I really enjoyed it.

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: The Celery Stalks at Midnight, Nemesis, and Out of Office
Five years ago I was reading: The Unlikely Disciple, The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, and The Stand
Ten years ago I was reading: Nothing

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