This is not just an LGBT+ history -- rather, it is a history of queerness. It is centered around queer theory, but also talks about queer culture and queer activism. It is very accessible and it makes me want to get back into reading more queer theory! A lot of conversations happening about the LGBT community would be a lot more easy to get through if people at least had this base knowledge (regardless of their perspective on it). It certainly does not cover everything in detail (how could you in a short, quick history?) but it is a great start and accessible for those who aren't super familiar with academic jargon. I'd like to look at it more closely once I look more into the theory it discusses to see what parts it decided to hilight vs what is glossed over (I do have some background but not nearly as much as I would like). I borrowed this from the library but I will definitely be purchasing my own copy. 

In roughly the first half of this, I thought the look into social media and fame through April was interesting but the story was very secondary. However, the second half of the book pulled me in and both the story and the discussion happening through April were just as engaging. There is also so much about relationships and the impact one person's choices can really make on someone (not just in terms of the big picture, but how it can impact individuals). I feel like there is still a lot to unpack in regards to what this says about fame and about parts of social media at the time this was written, so I will definitely be doing a reread to really look at this (eventually). I am really interested to see what Hank adds in the sequel, especially since social media has evolved even between 2016-18 (when this was likely being written and edited) to now. I went in preparing to like this, but it still surprised me and I can't wait to get into the sequel. 

If I had read this in 2008 (when it was published and when I was 15), I'd probably have liked it. But there were some jokes -- and considerable portions of some of the set-ups and plot details -- that aged really poorly. Unfortunately accurate for some teenage friend groups at the time, but it's those details in conversations that just make this painful to read. Moreover, none of the relationship dynamics in this really spoke to me. There's a fair amount to unpack from the dynamics to be honest. Perhaps the short format made it worse than a full book would be, but I really couldn't read the whole thing. I took my time with the first story, but the last two stories, I read the first half of each and then skimmed. 

I liked the idea of different perspectives in one story, giving us several stories tied together with romance and Christmas and social circles. But in practice, I found a lot of the book pretty insufferable.

 I've not had the best luck with older YA in the past, but this ended up being a wonderful read. The style is a bit different than more recent YA, but it's still enjoyable. And while certain things have changed, I think their love can be felt and understood regardless of the time. There's a lot that we can unpack in the story and I'm not sure how to do a lot of it without spoilers (or ending up with an essay that no one asked for). This was such an important book in it's time and I think it's one that can continue to impact people in really important ways. 

 Ana on the Edge by AJ Sass is a novel about an ice skater who is figuring out their gender, all while dealing with friendship, family, and general life changes. I really loved this story. I was not familiar with ice skating going in, but understood aspects of performance and practice, being a former band kid. It was interesting to see their process and how gender manifests itself on those details. There was quite a lot in this story without being too intense. Ana has to deal with her own feelings while also learning important lessons about communication. There was some important conflict resolution with friends and family alike. 

 A good, comprehensive look at the enneagram. This would be a really great place to start when learning about it. There is a bit on the history of the enneagram, a breakdown of the types, and what we can do with the enneagram to improve ourselves. It's not too complicated, but I don't think it's overly simplified either. The spiritual aspects that it goes over is not unique to one religion, which makes it more widely useful as well. Over all, the exercise of self-awareness and self-analysis can be incredibly beneficial and this framework has been super helpful for me in terms of which behaviors to be aware of (and it's made me feel a lot less alone and more understood in some ways). 

 A short, sweet, queer Christmas novella. I loved getting to see a bit of what happened after IWYATB and getting to spend a bit more time with Ben's character.