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86% complete! Mr. Acton has read 39 of 45 books.
A god will return When the earth and sky converge Under the black sun
In …
Using the Mesoamerican and Polynesian cultures and mythos to build the story is wonderfully unique. The POV characters are all intriguing. It definitely felt like a first of three books. If you like palace intrigue based fantasy novels, this is a definite recommend.
A god will return When the earth and sky converge Under the black sun
In …
I’m enjoying it enough, but it definitely feels like a lot of putting the pieces in position.
A god will return When the earth and sky converge Under the black sun
In …
I’ve got a #bookclub for this in just a few days. I gotta pause Dancer from the Dance and get on this.
Andrew Holleran’s landmark novel of a young man's search for love and companionship in New …
Your novel might serve a historical purpose - if only because young queens nowadays are utterly indistinguishable from straight boys. The twenty-year-olds are completely calm about being gay, they do not consider themselves doomed.
— Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran (Page 7)
This is in a letter written from one character to another at the beginning of the book. It’s not irony, because the author published this years before the AIDS pandemic. (1977) Yet, 5-10 years ago this could have been written about many of the gay men never knew a (first-)world where HIV was a death sentence. (Hopefully, we can get back towards its eradication /ot.) I imagine this passage strikes many queer readers.
Andrew Holleran’s landmark novel of a young man's search for love and companionship in New …
I’m looking forward to read a gay novel written before our community was decimated by HIV/AIDS. Joe Locke mentioned it in one of his interviews. I’m going in pretty blind. I’m hoping not to need tissues for it. 🤞
This book really resonated with me, but I’m also in the same age and cultural cohort as the characters. Add to that a personal event similar to the instigating event for the story and it was practically written for me.
After the loss of their close friend just prior to college graduation, the remaining friends create a pact to hold funerals for each other while they’re still alive. Through the years the friends call on the pact. Secrets are revealed and their friendships are repeatedly tested. They learn whether the pact a testament of their bond or a desperate grasp to hang onto a time long since passed?
While the specter of mortality weighs on the Celebrants more than the Guncle series, Steven Rowley’s punchy wit, irony, and joy shine through the same. While it doesn’t break new ground, it celebrates life, next chapters, and not leaving things unsaid.
Even if they felt somewhat like strangers now, they had seen things, they had witnessed when she was young and raw and exposed, in the time before she’d learned to hide her fragility. They had known her before who she was now
— Celebrants by Steven Rowley (Page 120)
So it begins. My heart is already broken at the end of the first chapter. It’s bringing back memories of friends who have passed and friendship groups dealing with aging and distance.
Drew's always prided himself on being the "right" kind of nerd. He plays sports, has …
Alexis Hall creates an ode to online spaces and the authenticity of the relationships formed therein. As someone who recently made some good friends and acquaintances in a fandom focused Discord server, that theme really resonated with me. In an MMORPG instance, Drew (he/him, persona name: Orcarella) becomes more and more interested in a person with a feminine presenting character named Solace. As Drew and this person grow closer, he must confront questions on whether online relationships are valid and whether he is more attracted to his perception of the person behind Solace is or to that person IRL.
As a queer YA romance, you can expect some tropes, few surprises, and an HEA. It only rarely challenges the reader, most likely those unfamiliar with online spaces. There’s a glossary for gamer terms, which are heavily used, but I forgot most of them and interpreted them on context clues in …
Alexis Hall creates an ode to online spaces and the authenticity of the relationships formed therein. As someone who recently made some good friends and acquaintances in a fandom focused Discord server, that theme really resonated with me. In an MMORPG instance, Drew (he/him, persona name: Orcarella) becomes more and more interested in a person with a feminine presenting character named Solace. As Drew and this person grow closer, he must confront questions on whether online relationships are valid and whether he is more attracted to his perception of the person behind Solace is or to that person IRL.
As a queer YA romance, you can expect some tropes, few surprises, and an HEA. It only rarely challenges the reader, most likely those unfamiliar with online spaces. There’s a glossary for gamer terms, which are heavily used, but I forgot most of them and interpreted them on context clues in the narrative. The heavy use of that lexicon could frustrate some readers. This is the third book by Alexis Hall that I’ve read and it might be my favorite. (It’s okay to skip Husband Material if you have other things on your TBR. Soz, AH.)
Drew's always prided himself on being the "right" kind of nerd. He plays sports, has a solid group of friends, …
Drew's always prided himself on being the "right" kind of nerd. He plays sports, has …
Before the more challenging books, it’s time for one more queer romance.
Nineteen-year-old hockey phenom Alexander Price is the youngest-ever captain in the NHL. With a polarizing social media presence and a …
Nineteen-year-old hockey phenom Alexander Price is the youngest-ever captain in the NHL. With a polarizing …
A book club book that isn’t about grief? A cute gay hockey romance? Let’s go!
Set between the United States and México, Andrés N. Ordorica’s debut novel is a tender and lyrical exploration of belonging, …
Set between the United States and México, Andrés N. Ordorica’s debut novel is a tender …
A beautifully devastating story of grief, growth, and love.
