Want to Read Wednesday

LGBT Edition!

Woo! First Want to Read Wednesday post! I decided to start it off strong by talking about LGBT+ books that I've been really looking forward to read, since I'm taking part of an LGBT Reading Challenge over on Tumblr (you'll see those posts floating around there if you follow me!

If you're unclear about my weekly posts, feel free to head over here, where I ramble about some of my ideas for what I'm hoping to do with each theme. Happy reading!

5 Books that I Cannot Wait to Read: 

5. Ash, by Malinda Lo

Published by Little, Brown

Why: It just sounds cool. I've never read an LGBT fantasy novel (nothing that I can remember, at least). Let alone one that is also a fairy-tale retelling. Ash- Lo's Cinderella- makes a deal with a dangerous fairy. When she begins to fall for the King's Huntress, she has to decide between her dream, and her love. A story with fairies and magic and "true love" are great on their own, but when a relationship between two girls is added to the mix? Amazement is sure to ensue!

Published by Simon & Schuster

4. Boyfriends with Girlfriends, by Alex Sanchez

Why: I've owned this book for a while, and I'm excited to finally delve into it. Focusing on two relationships, BwG is about "four very real teens striving to find their places in the world- and with each other". Plus, their variation to each characters sexualities, which is incredible in my opinion, because it shows that not everyone feels the exact same level of attraction, or has the exact same experiences. If that makes any sense? Lance is gay, Sergio is bi. Allie's questioning, and Kimiko is a lesbian (I believe, taken from the Goodreads summary). Obviously, I haven't read it, so I could be way off. But at least the idea I have of it in my head makes me really eager to begin reading it.

Published by Dover

3. Great Speeches on Gay Rights, collected by James Daley
Why: I don't feel familiar enough with public displays of support towards the queer community. I was the Treasurer of my High School's GSA, and I'm currently Secretary of my University's Queer Alliance. I need to become more informed, and I'm excited to read of the movements and power of a community that I am proud to say I am a part of.

2. Pantomime, by Laura Lam

Published by Strange Chemistry

Why: Pantomime is a little... difficult for me to explain my relation to it. I was so excited to read it when I was gifted a copy (really, I won a giveaway, but doesn't "gifted" sound so professional?). I opened it to begin reading, and I think I made it through the fifth page before I put it down. That was two years ago, and I haven't even attempted to restart it. I still really want to read it: I love magical realism, and the story has such a fantastical air to it that I'm really intrigued by. Plus, Micah's intersex. Intersex characters are rarely seen in books, or in media in general, on a grander scheme (unless I've just been blind to it. If that's the case, please feel completely free to recommend me movies/TV shows/books/etc. with intersex characters).

I don't know what it was, that made me put it down before. I think it might have something to do with the way my edition was formatted on the page (which is a huge pet peeve of mine, by the way?). Or maybe I just wasn't in the right place that day, and I've built it up in my head since then so much that I think there's something there when there isn't? Either way, it's time to face my fear, so to speak, and finally dive in, because I'm sure that it'll be a story I'll remember long after I've finished it. 

1. Keeping You a Secret, by Julie Anne Peters

Published by Little, Brown & Co. 

Why: I've only read one book by Peters before, and it was a book that I can honestly say changed my life. I didn't understand my sexuality when I started Lies My Girlfriend Told Me; I remember seeing it at Barnes & Noble when I went with my parents so they could pick out a present for a party we were going to straight after. I was browsing the Young Adult section while I waited for them, and I picked up LMGTM. My eyes went wide reading the blurb: girls in a relationship with each other? Gay people had always been around me growing up, but until then I had never really understood that it was something that was normal, and that I might be part of the community too. I almost had a heart attack asking my dad if I could get it, and I read it all in one sitting that night. The girls had relationship problems, like "normal" couples did. They joked around and flirted and confided in each other and depended on one another, things I'd only ever seen straight couples do. This is why diversity in media is so incredibly necessary; so that kids growing up know that they are not alone, and that there is nothing wrong with them for not following the expectation that so much of media places on them. Lies My Girlfriend Told Me will always be the book that helped me discover my sexuality, and for that, I'll be forever grateful. 

Keeping You a Secret would be the second book I'd have read by Julie Anne Peters, and suffice it to say, I'm excited (and a little nervous) to read it.

Extremely Honorable Mention Goes Out To:

1. More Happy Than Not, by Adam Silvera
2. How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater, by Marc Acito
3. Grasshopper Jungle, by Andrew Smith
4. Not Otherwise Specified, by Hannah Moskowitz
5. Bi Any Other Name, by Lorain Hutchins & Lani Kaahumanu

Have you read any of these books? What would be on your "Want to Read" List, in regards to the LGBTQIAPP+ community? Put any books that I should check out in the comments below <3

Tidbit Tuesday

Yay! My first Tidbit Tuesday. If you're wondering what this is all about, check out my (causal) overview post here. Happy reading!

Gemina - Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman |  Began reading Dec 17 2017

Page Count: 138/659

Synopsis: Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.
When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.
But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.

Current Opinion: My relationship with Gemina has been rocky. The first book in this series was an instant favorite for me, and a book that has been at the top of my recommendations list for literally everyone who's ever asked for a recommendation. So much so, that I preordered this book and entered a raffle for my name to be used as one of the victims in the sequel (the one I'm reading right now). I was ecstatic to continue to narrative. When I found out they were switching MC's, at first I was a little disappointed, but then I decided to think more positively. More people to love! More of the universe to explore! I was prepared. It came in the mail in October, but I was too worried about being let down to start it until a few weeks ago.
Immediately, the two main characters were not as instantaneously loved as the two in Illuminae. Don't get me wrong: I still like them very much, but I just don't feel as much as an attachment to them as I did to Kady and Ezra. I'm not desperate to see ore interaction between the two. I'm not begging for their survival yet.
That being said, shit just began to go down. Things are happening, people are dying. And, there's more intrigue with this one. A gang is on board Heimdall (Nik's family) and this one seems like it's going to be more about hiding and fighting back than running away. There's so much story left, that I feel like anything I say now could be completely disregarded and/or proved completely false by the end of the book. I still have a long way to go with Gemina, and I am enjoying the book as a whole so far, it just has to grow a little more for it to catch up with its predecessor.

Favorite Quote: "It didn't need to be this way. They were the words playing through my head through the whole thing. Likes some old media disk stuck on an infinite loop" - page 108


Have you read it yet? Let me know what you thought in the comments!

Mail-Time Monday

~ Here we go! My first official post on this account (are you proud? Because i'm very proud). I have a weekly spread line up that I'm hoping to adhere to (you can check it out here). So, without further ado, here is my first Mail-Time Monday Post! ~

This week has been pretty good, comic book-wise. One book that I've been waiting on for months arrived, I bought two Deadpool collections in store (my favorite way to buy books, even though it doesn't technically fall under "mail-time"), and a comic collection centered around the LGBT+ community that benefits Equality Florida and the survivors/families of the Pulse Massacre.

Published by: Apex

Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling - Jaym Gates & Monica Valentinelli |  Received as Perk from Kickstarter Campaign

Synopsis: Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling is an anthology of short stories, poetry, and essays edited by Monica Valentinelli and Jaym Gates. Over two dozen authors, ranging from NYT-bestsellers and award winners to debut writers, chose a tired trope or cliche to challenge and surprise readers through their work.

Read stories inspired by tropes such as the Chainmaille Bikini, Love at First Sight, Damsels in Distress, Yellow Peril, The Black Man Dies First, The Villain Had a Crappy Childhood, The Singularity Will Cause the Apocalypse, and many more...then discover what these tropes mean to each author to find out what inspired them.
Excitement Level: 9/10

Published by: Marvel

Deadpool Classic Vol. 4 - Joe Kelly & James Felder  |  Purchased from Cards & Comics Central (5424 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94103)

Synopsis: The secrets of Deadpool revealed! In some of his funniest adventures of all time, the truth behind Deadpool's origins in the Weapon X program is explored, as well as his unique relationship with Death herself! Ajax returns for revenge on Dr. Killebrew as Deadpool faces the ghosts of his past...literally! And is Deadpool the Cosmic Messiah, destined to save all? Featuring Captain America, Batroc the Leaper, Blind Al and Arnim Zola! 

Collecting: Deadpool (1997) #18-25 & #0, Deadpool & Death Annual 1998

Excitement Level: 8/10

Published by: Marvel

Deadpool: I Rule, You Suck (Vol. 6) - Daniel Way  |  Purchased from Cards & Comics Central (5424 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94103)

Synopsis: Doctor Bong? Are you serious?! Uh-oh. It looks like maybe somebody got talked into doing something for someone who wasn't who they said they were. And now the person who really is that person - Steve Rogers, the former Captain America - is kinda mad. Well, really mad, actually. But that's OK, because Deadpool is totally gonna fix this. Just like he always does.

Collecting: Deadpool #27-#31 (2011)
Excitement Level: 7/10

Published by: IDW Publishing & DC

Love is Love - Marc Andreyko  |  Purchased from Amazon

Synopsis: The comic industry comes together in honor of those killed in Orlando. Co-published by two of the premiere publishers in comics—DC and IDW, this oversize comic contains moving and heartfelt material from some of the greatest talent in comics, mourning the victims, supporting the survivors, celebrating the LGBTQ community, and examining love in today’s world. All material has been kindly donated by the writers, artists, and editors with all proceeds going to victims, survivors, and their families. Be a part of an historic comics event! It doesn’t matter who you love. All that matters is you love.

Excitement Level: 10/10




Please, let me know in the comments if you've read any of these and how you liked them, or if you're interested in any of them! I'm so happy with all of them, and I know I'm pretty damn excited to get started!