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september 2023 books
Monday, 2 October 2023 08:22Read: 7 (out of 52) which means I hit my reading goal. I still feel like I am rushing through books and Not Really Getting it, but not sure how to work around that. Writing "reviews" to get ARCs helps somewhat, but it's just...a vibe check and not a lot of real thinking. Still want to slow down and actually Take Things In but definitely not bothering to do that when I'm reading romances.
Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous by Mae Marvel (ARC)
Genuinely Did Not Have A Good Time. One of those super self-aware books where everyone talks like they're Tweeting and saying the right thing matters so much more than doing the right things. The premise was already kind of weird to me, but the dynamic between the two leads was awful. I know that lesbian romance novels almost never work for me anymore, which is truly disappointing, but this was one that I definitely wouldn't have bothered finishing if it wasn't an ARC.
The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales (ARC)
Young adult so definitely not for me, but I really liked her last book (vague Bachelor setting, women falling in love behind the scenes, and "ruining" the show) so I was willing to give this one a shot. It was...very young. Don't really feel like I can say anything where it clearly wasn't meant to me. I think it could definitely be a book that could make kids/teens feel less alone but I just know if I read this when I was 14 I would've felt so embarrassed, deactivated Tumblr, and quit AO3, and maybe that would've been for the best.
Game Misconduct by Ari Baran
An attempt at a "realistic" book about gay men in the NHL. I didn't hate it, but a lot felt repetitive. It's a league where enforcers are still important, even if they are on their way out, but also where women play in the NHL. The world building in that sense felt very fic-like to me and I know there's an expectation to lean into it, but I didn't feel like it added anything narratively other than a check mark for ~remembering women exist or whatever. Sports books rarely work for me anyway and the way their careers was kind of odd to me, but whatever. Not the point of the book. Their relationship didn't really develop as much as it suddenly changed. It was hard to be invested when Things Just Happened. I liked that the author included drug and alcohol abuse within the story, but at times it felt almost so spelled out.
Wild Houses by Colin Barrett (ARC)
Short and easy to get through, even if the topics aren't exactly light. I requested this one because Brandon Taylor hyped it on Twitter. It was...fine. The character development was really good and I'm always impressed at how easily authors can sneak in details to really explain a character without it feeling like a list of facts and traits being stated just to get on with it. There was one paragraph on death that's really stuck with me, but other than that I don't think this one will stay with me.
Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas
Yeah! I really loved this one. Gay teens being awful and writing horrible fic (?) about their classmates. Read this one in two days and enjoyed all of it. One that I will think about for a long time. I don't know what else to say other than that I found this incredible and want everyone to read it. Also thought this was a really cool article by the author, related to his book.
Mrs. S by K. Patrick
In theory, it's got everything I want: literary fiction about a weird all-girls private school, age gap relationship, vaguely romantic trips to swimming holes, ~older woman cheating on her husband, but it just fell so, so flat. The writing is hard to get to and I kept getting lost on the page, partially to be blamed on my own reading issues/attention span, I'm sure, but it made the experience of reading so annoying. Everything was drawn out and would've been better suited to a novella/short story. The last ~30 pages were a lot stronger imo than the rest of the book, but the payoff wasn't there.
Death Valley by Melissa Broder (ARC)
I'm pretty hit or miss with Broder's books (Loved Milk Fed, was eh on The Pisces) but I will still probably read anything she writes. Death Valley was...inexplicable. I don't know if I liked it or not, her writing is still wild and weird and enjoyable. The meat of the novel felt a bit uncertain, but it's such a personal novel that it feels rude to be harsh. The ending was surprising, a lot more hopeful than I would've thought, and made the rest of it feel twisted up. It was interesting, which at this point is enough for me. Don't feel strong enough about it to recommend or anything.
Up next:
- The Lengthening Shadow of Dr. Andrew Taylor Still by Arthur Hildreth (School)
- Darryl by Jackie Ess
- Casandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker
- Hoping to re-read either Beautiful World Where Are you or The Happy Couple too. Might wait for The Happy Couple Canadian release so I can buy the swan cover as an excuse <3
books!
Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous by Mae Marvel (ARC)
Genuinely Did Not Have A Good Time. One of those super self-aware books where everyone talks like they're Tweeting and saying the right thing matters so much more than doing the right things. The premise was already kind of weird to me, but the dynamic between the two leads was awful. I know that lesbian romance novels almost never work for me anymore, which is truly disappointing, but this was one that I definitely wouldn't have bothered finishing if it wasn't an ARC.
The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales (ARC)
Young adult so definitely not for me, but I really liked her last book (vague Bachelor setting, women falling in love behind the scenes, and "ruining" the show) so I was willing to give this one a shot. It was...very young. Don't really feel like I can say anything where it clearly wasn't meant to me. I think it could definitely be a book that could make kids/teens feel less alone but I just know if I read this when I was 14 I would've felt so embarrassed, deactivated Tumblr, and quit AO3, and maybe that would've been for the best.
Game Misconduct by Ari Baran
An attempt at a "realistic" book about gay men in the NHL. I didn't hate it, but a lot felt repetitive. It's a league where enforcers are still important, even if they are on their way out, but also where women play in the NHL. The world building in that sense felt very fic-like to me and I know there's an expectation to lean into it, but I didn't feel like it added anything narratively other than a check mark for ~remembering women exist or whatever. Sports books rarely work for me anyway and the way their careers was kind of odd to me, but whatever. Not the point of the book. Their relationship didn't really develop as much as it suddenly changed. It was hard to be invested when Things Just Happened. I liked that the author included drug and alcohol abuse within the story, but at times it felt almost so spelled out.
Wild Houses by Colin Barrett (ARC)
Short and easy to get through, even if the topics aren't exactly light. I requested this one because Brandon Taylor hyped it on Twitter. It was...fine. The character development was really good and I'm always impressed at how easily authors can sneak in details to really explain a character without it feeling like a list of facts and traits being stated just to get on with it. There was one paragraph on death that's really stuck with me, but other than that I don't think this one will stay with me.
Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas
Yeah! I really loved this one. Gay teens being awful and writing horrible fic (?) about their classmates. Read this one in two days and enjoyed all of it. One that I will think about for a long time. I don't know what else to say other than that I found this incredible and want everyone to read it. Also thought this was a really cool article by the author, related to his book.
Mrs. S by K. Patrick
In theory, it's got everything I want: literary fiction about a weird all-girls private school, age gap relationship, vaguely romantic trips to swimming holes, ~older woman cheating on her husband, but it just fell so, so flat. The writing is hard to get to and I kept getting lost on the page, partially to be blamed on my own reading issues/attention span, I'm sure, but it made the experience of reading so annoying. Everything was drawn out and would've been better suited to a novella/short story. The last ~30 pages were a lot stronger imo than the rest of the book, but the payoff wasn't there.
Death Valley by Melissa Broder (ARC)
I'm pretty hit or miss with Broder's books (Loved Milk Fed, was eh on The Pisces) but I will still probably read anything she writes. Death Valley was...inexplicable. I don't know if I liked it or not, her writing is still wild and weird and enjoyable. The meat of the novel felt a bit uncertain, but it's such a personal novel that it feels rude to be harsh. The ending was surprising, a lot more hopeful than I would've thought, and made the rest of it feel twisted up. It was interesting, which at this point is enough for me. Don't feel strong enough about it to recommend or anything.
Up next:
- The Lengthening Shadow of Dr. Andrew Taylor Still by Arthur Hildreth (School)
- Darryl by Jackie Ess
- Casandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker
- Hoping to re-read either Beautiful World Where Are you or The Happy Couple too. Might wait for The Happy Couple Canadian release so I can buy the swan cover as an excuse <3
