abbie_'s Reviews (1.79k)

I flew through this book, one that tugs at your heart strings as Michael explores his identity and finds a place where he can finally feel enough. I believe this book, though fictional, is inspired by the author's own life, which makes it all the more emotional. Growing up, Michael struggles to hold all the aspects of his identity as one - his mother is adamant that he should never feel like half of a person. He is Jamaican, Cypriot, Black and white British altogether. But as Michael navigates new surroundings like uni, he never quite feels Black enough, Greek enough, queer enough - until he finds Drag Soc. 

I loved the sections which focused on Michael growing up, though they were sometimes very sad. There's one part where his little sister Anna plays with her big brother's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and wears dungarees and nobody bats an eyelid. Michael reflects on how the same freedom was not extended to him when he wanted to play with Barbies and try on his mother's dresses. But Michael is such a sweet soul, and instead of feeling (quite understandable) resentment towards Anna, he only feels relieved and grateful that she is allowed to express herself in ways he was not. 

Michael finally finding somewhere he can feel 100% himself within Drag Soc was just beautiful. He is a gay man who wants to be free enough to wear a dress - this book is just so full of hope for any kid whose gender expression doesn't fit within society's prescribed norms. 

I am a bit of a poetry dunce, and while I loved the sections that were actual poems, sometimes I did find myself wondering if the whole book needed to be in verse. It made it super quick to read but I didn't find myself slowing down to appreciate the verse. Thankfully this didn't negate the emotional impact!

This book started off incredibly strong and intriguing, and while it did lose some steam after a while, I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Pennington siblings! I love a book about family relationships/dynamics, and People Person offered something I hadn't explored much before.

Cyril Pennington fathers five kids to four different mothers, and brings them together one day for an ill-advised family get together when they're all still teenagers/tweens. After that, the siblings never see each other again (besides Prynce & Nikisha who live together with their mother) until Dimple finds herself in a dangerous bind and reaches out to Nikisha for help. Unbeknownst to Dimple, Nikisha ropes in the other three siblings as well, meaning all five are now embroiled in the drama.

Prynce and Danny were by far my favourite characters, Williams nailed their individual brands of humour and outlooks on life, and they just brought such a wholesome vibe to the group dynamics. The girls initially find it more difficult to adjust to being in each other's lives, and I feel like Danny and Prynce act like much needed glue to hold the group together. 

The narrator of the audiobook, Danielle Vitalis, did an incredible job of bringing all the characters to life, especially in the absence of a full-cast audiobook for a book with such a wide range of characters. I did think the ending wrapped up a little too tidily, but overall an engaging read about sibling bonds and family!

A beautifully sensual love letter to food and desire against a backdrop of an uncannily possible dystopian near-future. I read this in anticipation of hearing Zhang speak at a book festival in my city, and it was an amazing experience to hear her discuss her work, specifically about women's desire and the way it's so often trivialised as something silly or flippant. There's also some great commentary about being a woman of colour in a restaurant setting, imposter syndrome and greed/wealth. I loved the ending, and overall the writing was beautiful. I enjoyed How Much of These Hills Is Gold, but struggled a little with the very lyrical style - this book is similarly written, but I felt it flowed more easily. 

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free e-ARC!

Lovely lovely! Requested this on Netgalley for two reasons - one was a reading challenge, the other is I have two nieces and I need to start getting then books to help them understand and appreciate all sorts of identities and people. It is my duty as cool lesbian auntie 😌

I thought this picture book did a great job of explaining complex identities in a straightforward manner, and I liked the inclusion of the glossary for adults/parents in the back. The main message is a good one - pride families (families where one or more parents is queer) come in all different shapes and sizes and every one is perfect! It’ll help kids look beyond the heteronormative boundaries of what a family looks like. 

The illustrations were also gorgeous! A lovely array of human beings represented, and I loved the inclusion of pride flags behind them. 

Hello yes, I just have one question - what the actual fuck?

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC in exchange for me being thoroughly and utterly grossed out! I haven’t read Grudova’s first collection OR Children of Paradise, but I’m not sure that I would have been anymore prepared for The Coiled Serpent if I had. Every possible taboo you could think of is covered in these stories, every bodily fluid, every fucked up thing a person could do to another person, it’s all here. Grudova is clearly all about pushing boundaries, but I did often find myself asking what the point in some of the stories was. I’m quite a literal person, and so I’m always trying to figure out if there is a ~message~ or if these stories were just grotesque for the sake of it, to let the author’s creative juices flow. And lots of juices are indeed flowing, let me tell you 😩

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The stories do differ, but they all play on similar themes - creepy houses, oppressed & used women, food scarcity, revenge and unrequited sexual obsession. I wouldn’t consider myself a squeamish reader but my honestly this collection had me feeling physically nauseous more than once. My favourite stories were the less in-your-face shock value ones. The Green Room, for instance, where a woman whose daughter was killed due to a chemist’s negligence plays a long game of revenge. Or The Poison Garden, where a custodian of a Tudor house cultivates a garden full of poisonous plants which a young man thieves to nefarious and sinister ends.

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Towards the end of the collection, the stories start getting more extreme, think cannibalism, self-combusting bodies, and I started to feel a bit drained from the constant gore. I prefer my dark stories to be a little subtler, I think!

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Overall I’d say a mixed bag, but Grudova’s creativity and sense of atmosphere has got me curious about picking up her earlier works sooner rather than later!

A middle of the road rating for this one because I’m too stupid to fully understand what Snorton is putting down and that’s not his fault 😂 I went into this knowing that it’s an academic text and yet still expected to be able to follow and hopefully at least absorb some of it via osmosis… my friends that was not the case. The audiobook was definitely the right choice for me, because had I been reading this with my eyes I simply would have not. Via audio and on dog walks/doing chores, it was like listening to an interesting lecture. I did learn some interesting stuff about how Black bodies were used during scientific experiments, as well as how cross-dressing allowed some Black folks to escape slavery, but ultimately it was just too theoretical for me to grasp fully. 

I did learn a new word - fungible 😌 which means interchangeable!

My second poetry collection on audio in October and I really enjoyed this one too! I listened to it all the way through in one sitting (well actually I was standing - walking the dog and doing some chores) and I found these somewhat otherworldly poems very beautiful. There’s not much cohesion beyond the somewhat ethereal vibe, but I thought that made for an interesting collection! 

Another short story buddy read with Nadia! I had high hopes for this one, but I think I might have been thinking about How High We Go in the Dark instead, as although this is a solid collection, it didn’t blow me away or anything!

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The main thing I appreciated with Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone (not the title, too long to type out 💀) is how Nagamatsu decided on a theme and stuck to it like glue, but without it becoming stale or repetitive. All of the stories deal with death, loss, grieving, but with sci-fi/folklore twists. I thought most of the stories were fresh and innovative, and only a couple of them left me feeling unsatisfied either because I didn’t ‘get it’ or I wanted more. There were some teeny tiny stories interspersed with the longer ones which were very sad - mostly dealing with child loss in some way.

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My favourite story by far was Headwater LLC, which focused on humans exploiting kappas (google them, creepy fuckers but they still don’t deserve that). It’s a simple enough concept, but provides a great critique of environmental degradation and exploitation for human gain and corporate greed. I’ve never seen Shape of Water but it gave me those sorts of vibes!

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Other standouts were The Inn of the Dead’s Orientation for Being a Japanese Ghost, which was funny and original, and Girl Zero which was super sad and also sinister. A grieving father goes to extreme lengths to bring his daughter back, invoking the help of demons.

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Looking forward to reading How High We Go in the Dark even more now, as if it’s meant to be better than the collection then I’m in for a treat!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC!

If you’re looking for more trans narratives in your life (and I think you should be), check out Miles Borrero’s memoir Beautiful Monster, coming out on the 23rd October. I really appreciated this memoir, as there’s a bit of a lack of books focusing on later-life transition. Although Miles felt from a young age that something wasn’t right about living as a girl, it wasn’t until he was nearing 40 that he realised he could no longer delay his truth.

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Born into a traditional Colombian family, Miles struggled with the feminine role he was expected to perform from a young age - stuffy communion dresses, keeping up with his friends who began dating men (not boys) from age 14, dealing with men who believe it’s their right to take what they want from girls. He also struggled with a burgeoning attraction to his best friend Sylvie, a tumultuous relationship to put it gently! But he was always very aware that something didn’t feel right.

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My heart broke for Miles when you realise he’s been denying his true self out of anxiety over whether his family would accept him. 40 years is a long, long time, but it’s never too late to start living as you were always meant to be. I did find some of the fantastical interludes a little disorienting, and there were places I thought the writing could use a little extra editing - but I’m also very aware that with memoir you don’t want to change someone’s personal voice too much.

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Overall, an affirming read that reads so personally, and so joyfully, with a focus on slightly older trans lives. I hope an audiobook is in the works because I’m sure it would be an incredible experience to hear Miles read his own story!

I struggle to rate poetry, especially when I’ve listened to it on audio. I love the experience in the moment, it’s very moving and I love the author reading their own poems aloud… but can I recall much of them a week later?? Doubtful. 

It’s more like an impression I’m left with - the shocking state of the American prison and justice system, Black men being seen as potential criminals from even before they were born, and Betts looking back on his life before & after his stint in prison (tried as an adult at 16?? Oh boy)