January Reading Wrap Up
January has flown by! Lots of exciting things happening, and a lot of firsts too. I started this blog. My job role at the library has expanded to involve the archives and I had my first shift there this month. I modelled for the first time(!) at a super queer photoshoot for a local exhibition on display this LGBT+ History Month. I also ventured into a new book genre for me: horror.
This month’s book club book was Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle, a horror book. Now, normally I would find horror films or TV shows far too scary, but maybe I feel safer behind the comforting pages of a book… or maybe it was just on the light side when it came to gore. I don’t think horror is going to become my new favourite genre any time soon, but I did enjoy this story and I might not shy away from scary quite so much in the future.
Before this venture into horror though, I got the year going with a couple of fabulous sapphic romances. I love a queer romance, but I must say I have been particularly in the mood for them recently, and I have several more lined up for the months to come.
My final read of the month was also a romance. This Feast of a Life by Cynthia So was a new release in January and the author’s second novel. I loved their first book If You Still Recognise Me, so not only could I not wait to get my hands on this one, I also leapt at the chance to get tickets to the book event So had at Gay’s The Word bookshop.
It was great to hear Holden (Cynthia) talking about the inspiration behind their books. I learnt they edited If You Still Recognise Me during lockdowns when much of the food in the book was added – they were missing going out to restaurants so wrote about it instead. And that was the spark for This Feast of a life, a story of two sapphics falling for each other over food.
Holden gave all of us Londoners a food recommendation too: Hong Kong french toast at HOKO café, Brick Lane – right around the corner from The Common Press and Shoreditch High Street. It sounds like the perfect part of town to share food and an adventure with someone special.
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Making It by Laura Kay ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The book both starts and ends with a note from "the artist", our mc, Issy. As she shares her art with the world in the book, she shares her life with us as readers.
The whole book feels real. It feels grounded. And in that way, it speaks to deep truths and has had a big impression on me. For example, how the romantic interests simply slip into their relationship as it slowly develops over the course of the story.
Although, the romance itself is secondary to this plot. Issy's exploration of sexuality and journey with mental health are the focus. And Kay takes such care with this subject matter, something she discusses in the Author's Note.
There are some laugh-out-loud moments as well. And some spicier moments. But everything feels authentic. The conversations between housemates stood out to me as coming across as very natural.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I found it a little hard to get into this book at first. But by the end I had cried and fallen in love with the story.
It starts out a little depressing, something I wasn't expecting (hence the struggle to get into it), but that just allows us to empathise with August, our mc, all the more when her world goes from grey to full technicolour.
The meet cute is an act of kindness. The magical realism works wonderfully. Jane's history, and therefore some queer history, is blended in so thoughtfully.
The passing of time speeds up and slows down in all the right places without pause or whiplash. Something I am aware many stories do, but none have made me think about it before.
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Misha, our mc, is a writer in Hollywood. So far in his career, he's put queer-coded characters in his scripts as a way of self-expression. Now, while the boss is telling him to kill off the lesbians in his latest show - his first attempt of explicit on-screen representation - he is also facing the monsters from his previous hits. In real life.
Horror is absolutely not my go-to genre. But book club demanded it and I actually really enjoyed reading this one, right up until the last few chapters. To me, the ending didn't feel like it matched the rest of the book. Although, the discussion at book club helped me see why certain choices in these chapters were made.
I did like how the story became a reflection on how growing up, and being, queer influences art. We see Misha battle with internalised homophobia and homophobic comments from colleagues. We also get chapters called "Inspiration [insert year here]" which flash back to queer trauma from the mc's childhood.
There is an asexual character in the story which is why it was selected at book club. Tara also works in Hollywood and is super cool. Mentions of asexuality are minimal and blunt and are contrasted by sex jokes made by colleagues.
There are a couple of gruesome scenes, but maybe overall this would be considered light-horror(?)
This Feast of a life by Cynthia So ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a quiet romance set over a year and a half. Valerie is working through her grief and wants to learn to cook like her mum, and Auden is exploring being nonbinary and demisexual while writing the food blog that catches Valerie's attention.
I recently heard So speak about the inspiration behind their books including If You Still Recognise Me, a book that meant a lot to me at the time of reading. This Feast of a Life heavily features food, particularly dishes from Hong Kong as the characters (re)connect with this part of their heritage, and So spoke so delicately about why this was something they wanted to write about.
The ace representation hit a chord with me. Auden enjoys kissing not for the physical sensations (there are no fireworks) but for the closeness and alternative form of intimacy, and because they know their partner likes it. And, importantly, Valerie sees this as good enough reasons (as she should) and not a lack of "required" attraction.
Overall, this book was okay. I think I had high expectations that weren't met until later on in the story. And this book is, of course, written with YA readers in mind. But I loved the slow pace and the realistic depiction of the winding path to figuring out who you are and what you want.