Monday, September 30, 2024

Review: "If You're Not the One" by Farah Naz Rishi

If You're Not the One by Farah Naz Rishi
If You're Not the One by Farah Naz Rishi
Published October 2024 via Quill Tree Books
★★★★


Anisa has it all planned out: she has an image to maintain, an arranged match to follow through with, and a law degree to obtain. A boy with bright yellow crocs—a boy determined to be Anisa's friend—is not part of the plan.

If You're Not the One is more or less a fictionalised version of Rishi's own story. I read Sorry for the Inconvenience not too long ago, and as soon as I saw that Rishi had also written her story into a YA fiction format, I knew I'd have to read it. So there are two things to talk about here: If You're Not the One, and the experience of reading the two books nearly back to back.

The book itself: This is pretty classic YA romance. Anisa is in college, with her whole life planned out ahead of her; she has wrenches thrown in her way via family upheaval and just normal college figuring-things-out. Anisa has put a great deal of effort into projecting an image of perfection, and she's pretty damn insufferable about it. It works because Rishi is aware that Anisa is pretty damn insufferable, but also, Anisa does some genuine growth—and grew on me—over the course of the book. I love how hard she works at making her relationship work, too; she doesn't have great models for communication, and she's definitely still figuring things out, but she knows enough to actively try to communicate...and to know that, whatever else, she wants to be with someone who wants to be with her. (Is this a low bar? Yes. But it's too high a bar for a lot of books.) The book also carries the bonus of much of the romantic context being outside the YA norm, as Anisa is perfectly fine with the idea of an arranged marriage, and whether or not her marriage is arranged is largely beside the point throughout the book. Also, there are footnotes. So generally? I think the book is a win.

Reading the two books not quite together: Now, I'm not here to spoil eitherIf You're Not the One or Sorry for the Inconvenience, so I'll tread carefully here. The inspiration is clear as day, and there's a lot of overlap, but there are also substantial plot and character differences. In particular, the romantic interest of the novel gets a bit more backstory than the real-life love interest; the one who was Not Meant to Be is allowed to be more complex in the novel; certain adults are allowed a softer (if less complex) side in the novel; Anisa's sibling's story is not Rishi's sibling's story. (I'm guessing, also, that Rishi was rather less insufferable than Anisa in college...?) The novel also covers a significantly shorter time period.

I'm more likely to reread the memoir than the YA novel, partly because the story in the memoir is simply more complex and partly because as much as I enjoy YA I really, really love memoir—but they serve different purposes. And maybe someday I'll get to teach a class on paired literature...? These would be a great fit.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Review: "Deadly Voyage" by Jamie Suzanne (created by Francine Pascal)

Deadly Voyage (Sweet Valley Twins)
Deadly Voyage by Jamie Suzanne (created by Francine Pascal)
Published 1995
★★★★


This miniseries was (spoiler: still is) some of my favourite Sweet Valley reading back in the day. In Deadly Voyage, Elizabeth and Jessica are super excited to go on a field trip...until the boat pulls away with the chaperones still on shore. (Then only Jessica is excited, and Elizabeth is worried that Something's Not Right). As it turns out, of course, Something Is Not Right, and the twins discover that (dun dun dun) the boat has been hijacked!

Cue high drama, high seas, and an impending storm. The field trip is a mix of the Unicorns and the Goody-Two-Shoes Brigade, which means that they immediately start fighting over who should make decisions (Janet thinks she should make decisions, because she's an eighth grader; Bruce thinks he should make decisions, because his father is rich; Elizabeth thinks she should make decisions, because she has considerably more brain cells than Janet and Bruce combined) while the hijackers make plans to murder the admittedly very irritating tweenagers they have on board.

Drama! Violence! Brattiness! This one has it all. Jessica and her cohort can't quite decide which is more important—their survival, or whether they're sucking up to the right tweenagers. Elizabeth and her cohort are definitely more interested in survival, but also have a habit of pissing off the baddies. And as the book ends, it's Elizabeth who is left for the sharks...

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Review: "If Only" by Vigdis Hjorth

If Only by Vigdis Hjorth
If Only by Vigdis Hjorth, translated from the Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund
English translation published September 2024 via Verso
★★★★


Ida has found her true love—if only Arnold would realize it. She writes letters and makes phone calls, and they meet up to have sex and drink beer, and then she goes back to her husband and he goes back to his wife and she writes more letters and makes more phone calls and dreams of the dizzying possibility of being with Arnold forever. She can't sleep can't eat can't stop talking about Arnold can't understand why he pushes her away can't imagine a life without him.

And then the relationship changes, and things get interesting.

It took me far longer than I expected to read the first half or so of the book—Ida's obsession and desperation are hard to bear. She is so ready to throw away almost everything in her life; not her children, perhaps, but they are relegated to "the children" throughout the book, with no need for names or personalities or dialogue. It is Arnold, Arnold, always Arnold.

When the dynamics shift, we see even more how...well...worthless Arnold is. Boorish and beery, paranoid and jealous and self-centered. Ida sees this too, sometimes; she mollifies and apologizes and changes her behavior and loses sleep and says yes, yes, yes. She forgets what no is, forgets that she once had worth outside this obsessive, codependent, toxic spiral the two of them find themselves in. (Part of me thinks get out, get out, good grief, Ida, take a look around you and part of me thinks well, they deserve each other. Mostly the former, to be fair, but the latter is persistent.)

It's not a pleasant read, and frankly I understand why reviews are so polarized—their dysfunction goes on and on, always unraveling but never quite far enough for respite. I ultimately decided to find it fascinating in that can't-look-away kind of way, but you absolutely have to be in the frame of mind to read about a toxic relationship (one reason it took me so long to finish the book) to find satisfaction here. I'm curious to know what Norwegian critics made of the book when it was first released in 2001.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Review: "Body Phobia" by Dianna E. Anderson

Body Phobia by Dianna E. Anderson
Body Phobia by Dianna E. Anderson
Published October 2024 via Broadleaf Books
★★★


American culture hates the fact that we have bodies (loc. 4*), writes Anderson, and so the book goes: Body Phobia is an exploration of some of the ways in which American culture seeks to control bodies and to regulate them, often in the context of white evangelical Christianity.

Short but wide-ranging, Body Phobia covers topics such as race, disability, gender, and sexuality. Some of the material feels pretty academic, but in an accessible way; there's also a lot of memoir and of Anderson piecing together the topics that are most relevant to their own life and figuring out how they intersect and where they come from.

There's so much material here—any of the chapters could become a book of its own, I think. I found it to be a bit slow going at times because of this; there's so much going on that I couldn't quite get my footing. But some fascinating tidbits:

And it took a long time before doctors actually understood things that we now know to be true, like the fact that babies can feel pain (up until the 1980s, it was common to operate on infants without anesthesia because of a mistaken belief that babies didn't actually process pain). (loc. 718) Maybe worth noting here that many doctors still—implicitly or explicitly—believe that minorities, particularly Black people, feel less pain than White people and undermedicate accordingly.

He [Anderson's brother, who has Down syndrome] was their kid, and they were going to raise him. It took my extended family a little bit to get used to the idea—my dad told me once that my grandpa had asked him when he was going to grow out of his condition. (loc. 789)

In a discussion of religion and homosexuality, Anderson notes that some Jewish scholars take a different view of the story of Sodom than (conservative) Christians do; I won't quote because I'd be quoting a quote and that gets messy, but the short of it is that in the at least one interpretation the sin is about forcing people to conform. I may have to seek out the text Anderson quotes and read more, because it's not something I'd heard before, and I'm very intrigued.

Readers should go in knowing that there's a fair amount about White evangelical Christianity in here; fortunately that's one of my pet reading topics (from a very secular view, but what can you do—we all have our weird things), but it's not something I expected from the description. An interesting read for a somewhat academically inclined crowd.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Review: "The Merriest Misters" by Timothy Janovsky

The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky
The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky
Published October 2024 via St. Martin's Griffin
★★★


It's the merriest time of year...but for Patrick and Quinn, the cracks are showing. They've been married less than a year, and they're barely communicating anymore. Instead they're keeping secrets, spending time in separate rooms, and...knocking out Santa downstairs?

And so we learn that when one Santa quits, retires, or dies, another Santa must take his place...and with a sudden time crunch for a decision to be made, it's up to Patrick to try—and Quinn to reinvent Mrs. Claus as the Merriest Mister. When they agree to a trial year in the North Pole, it seems that all of their problems have been solved...for now.

Generally speaking, this makes for a cute, high-concept romp. I can't say that I've ever actually dreamed of moving to the North Pole and taking over Santa's workshop, but it's sort of fun to imagine, isn't it? There must be hot chocolate year-round. I did end up wishing that more of the details of that concept had been workshopped, though. We learn early on that it's the love of Santa and Mrs. Claus (or, in this case, the Merriest Mister) that powers the North Pole—and thus Christmas—so Patrick and Quinn quietly push aside their (very valid!) relationship concerns to go on something of a belated honeymoon in the North Pole. And so everything is grand...until, relatively late in the book, they have an argument (Patrick is not great at involving Quinn in giant, life-changing decisions), and the very fabric of Christmas is threatened. And, okay: I read too many memoirs about toxic iterations of religion. I am viewing this from a lens through which it's not supposed to be viewed. But I can't help but think that this is a version of Christmas powered not so much by love as by Mrs. Claus/the Merriest Mister 'keeping sweet', as it were, and making sure Santa stays happy.

I would love to know so much more about this world: What were the experiences of the previous Santas and Mrs. Clauses we meet, and why did they choose to stay? What or who did they leave behind? What do their lives in North-Pole retirement look like? We meet them briefly but never get to know them in any kind of detail. What does it mean in practice that the real-world life of a Santa is "taken care of" while he's working? (Because...as far as I can tell, all it means for Patrick and Quinn is that the bank doesn't repossess their house while they're away; the confusion and upset with which their loved ones greet them when they call—the North Pole has great reception, it seems—suggests that it's not actually as simple as their lives being expertly put on hold.) Is it an effect of the North Pole that Patrick casually forgets his commitments back home, or is that just Patrick? (I initially thought it was the former, but then we see that they're able to contact people at home whenever they want, so I'm less convinced that it's a Christmas-magic thing.) What are the lives of the elves like, and who are they when they're not bowing and scraping and making sure the Claus couple's needs are met? Could a Claus couple bring a kid to, or have a kid in, the North Pole, if they were so inclined? What happens if you're stuck in the North Pole as Santa, not allowed to leave, and something happens to a loved one in the real world? How much does Santa actually do, and how much is he a figurehead? Is Santa expected to visit every household that celebrates Christmas, or just some of them—and if the latter, how is that determined? What about traditions that celebrate Christmas in January? If Christmas were cancelled, what would that actually look like? Just no gifts from Santa, or would trees magically disappear from people's houses and stockings fall from fireplaces?

I think this can be chalked up to one that is very fun in concept but requires a fair amount of suspension of disbelief, which is unfortunately not my forte. Recommended for those who overthink less than I do.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Monday, September 23, 2024

Review: "A Year in the Life of Bulimia" by Melanie J. Marklein

A Year in the Life of Bulimia by Melanie J. Marklein
A Year in the Life of Bulimia by Melanie J. Marklein
Published 2003 via Publishamerica
★★


A short look at a young woman's experience of a year of depression and bulimia. This is published in diary form, and though I don't know how much editing was done between writing the diary and publishing it, I'd guess that it's largely raw material. Feels very much like an accurate depiction of an unhappy late-teens-early-twenties depression, but unfortunately that's not a sort of diary that is particularly interesting to read. Lots of angst, lots of passive (and sometimes active) ideation, lots of depressed poetry. It makes a <i>ton</i> of sense for a diary, but as a book I'm not sure what to take away from it.

Saturday, September 21, 2024

Review: "Alison on the Trail" by Catherine Connor (Magic Attic Club)

Alison on the Trail (Magic Attic Club)
Alison on the Trail by Catherine Connor
Originally published 1995
★★


In school, Alison's impulsivity and competitiveness lead to a minor shock—but out on the trail, with a crew of young children relying on her, she finds that the stakes are much higher.

I don't remember reading this one as a child, but I love me a hiking book so thought I'd pick it up. Even after reading a few of these, I can't really tell the girls apart, but I guess Alison is one of the more strong-willed ones? In any case, she finds herself leading a group of seven-year-olds on a multi-hour hike through the woods, reliant on a map and some trail signs and her own good judgement...if she can in fact rely on that last one.

This is a book where I officially feel old: I probably would have enjoyed this as a kid, but as an adult all I can think is who is letting this completely untried child take a bunch of even younger children into the woods? Alison has a lot of knowledge about wilderness safety, which is never explained (something of a theme in these books—the girls seem to pop through the mirror with whatever skills and knowledge they need, though whether or not they retain any of it on the other side is another question), but she also makes rash decisions like taking what she thinks is a shortcut, without a map, in territory completely unfamiliar to her. Because this is a children's book, things turn out just fine, but not without some genuinely dangerous moments (literally, there are multiple chances for these children to die), and Alison gets to wave it off with an "Oops! So sorry. I've learned my lesson!" I'm not sure what I would have liked to see here, but at least a horrified adult or two?

This makes me think more generally about consequences in this series—the girls treat each scenario as though the consequences are real (which is good), but I don't know if we ever really know if they...are. Some of their adventures take place in the real world or something close to it, but some of them take place in magical scenarios, and as far as I can tell the books don't really pose (or answer) questions about what real-life ramifications these adventures have (if a girl had drowned in Alison's adventure, would she be able to find something about it in the paper when she got back to her normal life?). I mean...obviously this is outside the scope and age range of these books. But gosh. I'm not usually in it for the moral of the story, but I hope Alison learned her lesson in this one.

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Review: "First Test" (graphic novel) by Tamora Pierce; adapted by Devin Grayson and Becca Farrow

First Test graphic novel
First Test by Tamora Pierce; adapted by Devin Grayson and Becca Farrow
Published July 2024 via Random House Graphic
★★★★


I may have squealed when I saw that <i>First Test</i> was being adapted into a graphic novel, and I may have squealed again when I found it at the library and there wasn't even a waitlist. This graphic novelization is spot on: it's as true to the original as it can be while making small cuts to account for the different needs of a graphic novel. Pierce's books are already diverse, and this version takes subtle pains to emphasize that.

It's a little hard for me to tell because I read the books so many times when I was younger that they're basically cemented in my memory, but I do suspect that a few of the details will be lost on uninitiated readers; the book is definitely still standalone for those who haven't read the series, but...I think it'll hold a special place in the heart of longtime readers. Now the only concern is: when is the next installment coming out...? I probably should have savored this rather than flying through after dinner.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Review: "Sex with a Stranger" by Stefan Golaszewski

Sex with a Stranger by Stefan Golaszewski
Published 2012 via Nick Hern Books
★★★


In which a not-very-appealing man cheats on his partner...

The scenes here are mostly quite short, choppy, giving us an impression of the characters and their relationships (Adam's one-night relationship with Grace; Ruth's longer relationship with Adam). The timeline is largely back to front: the focus is first on Adam and Grace, and only later do we get snippets of Ruth—who clearly knows that all is not well with the relationship, or at least all is not well with the relationship tonight.

We don't get a lot of motivation—maybe Adam is bored; maybe the relationship is on its last legs; maybe there's something else at play. But at the end of it...nobody really gets what they're looking for, I think. Interesting enough and a nicely quick read, but I don't think this one will stick with me, or that I'd want to see it performed.

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Review: "Living on Nothing Atoll" by Theresa Kelly

 

Living on Nothing Atoll by Theresa Kelly
Living on Nothing Atoll by Theresa Kelly
First published 1999
★★★


Cass likes her life—until her mother remarries and uproots them from Tennessee to the Marshall Islands. Living thousands of miles from home on an island just a few miles long isn't Cass's idea of a good time, and her new stepsister Tabitha doesn't help matters. But it looks like she's stuck with her lot until college...

I guess I'm back to reading 90s teen issue fiction. This is the first in a series about Cass and Tabitha (and their mostly white American friends) on Kwajalein; I'm unlikely to read the full series, but I was curious and...well, that's all it ever takes, really. This is very much Christian fiction, but it's actually a lot more understated than many of the Christian fiction series I've stumbled across over the years. Oh, don't get me wrong: Cass and her mother start a youth group on the island, and her not-very-religious peers are immediately enthusiastic and can't wait to talk about the finer points of the Bible; there's a fair amount of impassioned conversation about figuring out what God's plan for one's life is and following it; Cass uses Bible verses liberally to try to navigate her new family configuration; the entire thing is squeaky squeaky clean. Maybe understated isn't the word I'm looking for—it's more that, although it's pretty preachy, the religious focus (at least in this initial book) is more on the religious characters following (their interpretation of) God's will than on them converting anyone else. (If this seems minor, you haven't read very much 90s Christian teen issue fiction.)

I was surprised to enjoy Cass and Tabitha's conflict as much as I did. Again, enjoy is the wrong word here—but it's genuinely pretty funny how un-self-aware they each are (and how aware the author is) about their hypocrisy as they duke it out in a battle of pettiness and jealousy. Because this is 90s issue fiction rather than, e.g., a contemporary YA dramedy, there's no big drama where Cass dates the boy Tabitha likes or Tabitha shoves Cass into a lagoon full of sharks or whatever, and it was sort of refreshing to have just...teenagers being teenagers.

"What a weird relationship we have," mused Cass. "I wonder if all sisters are like this."

"Who knows?" Tabitha popped another chip into her mouth. "This is the first time I've ever had to deal with a sibling. Obviously I'm not very good at it," she concluded with an unconcerned shrug.
 (252)

Not sure how I ran across this in the first place, but it was a fun read.

Friday, September 13, 2024

Review: Short Story: "The Doll's House" by Lisa Unger

The Doll's House by Lisa Unger
The Doll's House by Lisa Unger
Published September 2024 via Amazon Original Stories


It's supposed to be a fresh start—a new romance, a sprawling mansion, an easier life. And it is...at first.

I was just eyeing a Lisa Unger book at the library (literally, it's the next tab open on my browser), so it felt like perfect timing when this short story (novella? what's the cutoff?) turned up. This hits a lot of classic notes, from the isolated house to the creepy dolls. (Fortunately these are themes that I enjoy in a mystery!)

There aren't a lot of surprises here, I think largely because it's a short story with (again) a lot of those classic notes; there isn't a lot of room for guessing or red herrings, and almost as soon as the characters know something is wrong, they're rushing to resolve it. I enjoyed this as a short story/novella, but I'd enjoy it more as something full length—something where we see more of the house unfold, where Vivi gets creepier as time goes on, where there's more time to raise the stakes.

Recommended to those who want something short and straightforward, without too many twists. As I think this would be a better fit for me in a longer format...it might be time for me to find one of Unger's full-length books to read after all.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Review: "Romancing Miss Stone" by M.C. Vaughan

Romancing Miss Stone by M.C. Vaughan
Romancing Miss Stone by M.C. Vaughan
Published June 2024 via Afterglow Books
★★★


Alex is a down-on-her-luck adventure guide, and when Bo shows up willing to pay a premium to get to his destination fast, she thinks the tide has finally turned. Plus, Bo's hot. Never mind that Bo's destination is the archaological site where his ex-fiancée is working...and that he wants to get his ex back.

I read this for the cover and the Belize setting. I'll keep this review short, because...well, because I don't have that much to say. The book is a very quick read and a good bunch of fun, though some of the more adventurous stuff happens off-page—e.g., Bo's travels through the wilds near the end of the book. As usual, I found myself disappointed by how unpleasant the ex is made out to be: it's not enough that she and Bo just weren't a good match; she also has to be disinterested in animals and disinterested in Bo's feelings and selfish and unethical and generally kind of a bitch. I know, I know; it's so that the reader knows that Bo will actually get over her and not have unresolved feelings. But that's...not how feelings work? This isn't a comment specific to this book (I have complained many a time about the proliferation of evil exes in romance), but it always brings a book down for me.

Fun enough otherwise, but not particularly memorable; I doubt I'll be continuing with the series.

Monday, September 9, 2024

Review: "Karaoke Queen" by Dominic Lim

Karaoke Queen by Dominic Lim
Karaoke Queen by Dominic Lim
Published September 2024 via Forever
★★★


The last time Rex performed, it ended badly. He no longer does karaoke—and he no longer does drag. It's safer that way, and when he runs into the One Who Got Away, he knows that now more than ever he needs to keep his more flamboyant side under wraps...because that might be the only way to get the second chance he dreams of. Never mind that drag might be the best way to save the struggling bar where his ex works; never mind that Rex has never been happier than when he's cinched and tucked and wearing a fabulous dress and singing his heart out. He can keep things separate. But keeping things separate starts requiring more and more subterfuge...

I can't resist a drag queen story—or, I suppose I could, but why would I want to? In most of his life Rex is pretty confident in who he is: he has a job he likes and a family who support him (some to further degrees than others, but fundamentally they all do support him) and a thriving Filipino community around him. He knows that his drag style leans a bit tacky, with color combinations to put your eyes out (I think this is supposed to be his fatal flaw?), but at the end of the day he's pretty okay with that. But: he's also willing to lock the core of himself away in a box to please someone else, whether or not they've given any indication that they deserve the effort.

What I like about the love sort-of triangle: Aaron is not a bad guy. It's clear pretty early on—no spoilers here—that there's someone else who is a better fit for Rex, but Aaron, while as boring as unflavored, unsweetened oatmeal, is perfectly fine; he does not (okay, slight spoiler) at any point turn out to be a raging asshole. This is a really, really low bar for a not-the-right-one love interest in a romance novel, but it's rare nonetheless, so credit where it's due. But my gosh, I wish Rex weren't so ready to throw his authentic self under the bus, over and over again, to please someone else. Oh, also, this is what Rex describes as 'neither neat nor disorderly'? A distinct man-smell permeates the rooms, unwashed clothes and meat-heavy meals mixed with about-to-expire air freshener. From here, I can see into his bedroom. A single bargain-basement comforter hangs off the edge of his bed, clothes are heaped on the floor, and empty beer bottles lay strewn across the dresser. (loc. 1860*) This is not a criticism of the book, but Rex! Raise your standards! That is absolutely disorderly! 'Unwashed clothes' is not what you should be able to smell in someone's apartment! At least ask the boy to open a window, my god.

Okay, okay. Rant over. The whole book has something of a campy feel, with some wish fulfillment to it. Later in the book, Rex learns something about his actual love interest that makes him (to Rex and to Rex's family) an even bigger 'catch', and I sort of wish that part of things hadn't made it through the edits—it's clear to the reader that Rex was into the guy before he learned this piece of information, but I have to wonder what the love interest thinks about Rex's 'I'm into you too' coming so close on the heels of learning this info. (And not much later, Rex puts the love interest on the spot in public to ask him to help out, and like...my dude...maybe ask that privately?) Rex's mother, while over the top as all hell, is a great lot of fun, and it's nice to see books with so much family support—reminds me a little of I'll Have What He's Having, which I also read recently.

One to read for the camp and the rainbows. Too bad this one wasn't out in time for Pride, but there's never a bad time for a new drag-queen novel.

(The cover, though—it's eye-catching, right? But it also feels a little bit like the only reference the artist had for drag was RuPaul. Hmm.)

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Saturday, September 7, 2024

Review: Short story: "Natural Selection" by Elin Hilderbrand

Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand
Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand
Published September 2024 via Amazon Original Stories


It's supposed to be their first vacation together, but just before Sophia and her new boyfriend board a flight to the Galapagos Islands together, he gets a call—and suddenly she's on a solo vacation to a place she didn't really want to go in the first place, with people she wouldn't befriend in her normal New York life. And suddenly she is not sure what is going on in her relationship, or how she's going to get through this holiday...

I haven't actually read any of Hilderbrand's books, though of course I've seen them in many a bookstore and many a library. This is a quick read of a story, only about fifty pages—I read it on the way to and from the gym. There aren't a lot of surprises here, but it's satisfying; I sort of love how much of a snob Sophia is about the boat when the package tour first starts. Without spoiling anything, I'll say that the phone call near the end is interesting—nice that it's very level-headed, but also clear that...oh, there's an extent to which some collateral damage is expected and treated as though it doesn't matter, I guess. Raises some interesting questions about whether one person's experience trumps another's—or, maybe more to the point, what you do when one person's experience trumps another's but the second person, you know, still has an experience.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Review: "Thank You, Next" by Kathryn Freeman

Thank You, Next by Kathryn Freeman
Published June 2024 via One More Chapter
★★


I continue to make questionable reading decisions about books with reality TV show settings. Now, if I'm honest: I mixed up the author with a YA author whose books I've read (their names aren't even that similar!) and up until the end of Thank You, Next I thought that this was that YA author's first foray into romance. And, ah, that she should stick to YA. Turns out that this is a different author, of course, but oh gosh, this was not the book for me. (This review is neither very balanced nor very patient, so if you're trying to decide whether or not to read the book, please don't take it as your only source of information.)

The premise: Molly is blindsided when her boyfriend Duncan breaks up with her (excuse me—suggests that they take a break) so that he can go on a reality TV dating show and gain exposure for his online fitness coaching business. When Molly is inexplicably cast herself, she gets her second blindsiding: her other recent-ish ex, Ben, whom she still hasn't forgiven for breaking up with her when she thought things were going well, is also on the show. And Molly's been paired with him. (Cue Molly making her TV debut by throwing her drink in his face.) Now they're stuck together for the duration of the show while Duncan flexes his muscles, Molly swoons over him, Ben pops an erection every other time Molly steps on-page, and they (Molly and Ben, but also sort of Molly and Duncan) have to decide whether or not to get married at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, the reader learns pretty early on that when Ben and Molly dated, his ex had just died, and he wasn't in a place for a serious relationship; Molly didn't know this at the time, so she was left feeling as though she must have done something wrong. And that's fair—I think we can agree that communication is healthy! It would be helpful if Ben talked about his feelings more! It would be helpful if Molly were more honest about her own context! But even once Molly knows Ben's background, she throws their breakup back in his face over and over and over again, because as far as Molly's concerned, her trauma trumps Ben's trauma, and if he can't get over his trauma and become a perfect communicator immediately, and also be willing to marry her after a weeks-long courtship that she spends half of trying to get back together with Duncan, it's just proof that he doesn't love her and never will. (Obviously nobody ever suggests that Molly work on her own trauma.)

Now...in any sort of real-world setting, Molly would be cast as the villain here. I'm not saying that's fair—she's dumb as a box of rocks, but she's not mean. But when she introduces herself on TV by flinging a drink in someone's face, and then viewers learn that she's previously dated two of the men on the show, and she talks a big game about how she's sunshine and Ben is grumpy but then she spends all her time pouting and whining, you'd better believe that the producers are going to be rubbing their hands with glee at how easy it'll be to paint her as a villain. Reality shows about relationships aren't actually about relationships—they're about viewership. The producers wouldn't be letting Molly and Ben drag each other off-camera every five minutes to have heart-to-hearts, dry-hump like middle-schoolers set loose on the dance floor, and bone—they'd be popping up like Ben's erections to cause trouble. Viewers love to have a villain to hate on, and for all that Molly thinks she's America's England's sweetheart, she would be assigned to the role of Whiny Indecisive Ditz in about three seconds flat, and then the producers would shuffle things around so she was paired with Duncan for maximum chaos.

(The rest of the cast, you say? They do not pass the Bechdel test, and the women are either nice but forgettable or into Ben and/or Duncan and therefore evil bitch-sluts for seventy-five percent of the book, until somebody remembers that feminism exists and they all become besties instead. Besties who still don't pass the Bechdel test, of course. What's the point of female friendship if it's not all about men?)

It's a romance novel, so I don't need to tell you how it ends, though I will say that they almost make a sensible decision and then...don't. For the record, I'm also well aware that I'd never be the heroine of a romance novel either; I'd be cast as a villain for any number of reasons, including that I don't want a white picket fence. But since I'm just reading these books, not living in them...well, this is a world a lot of readers will want to live in, but I'll go pick a different world, thank you. Next!

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Review: "I Felt Myself Slipping" by Ray Nadine

I Felt Myself Slipping by Ray Nadine
I Felt Myself Slipping by Ray Nadine
Published September 2024 via Oni Press
★★★


It's the mid-1990s, and there's a new girl at Station Six Gymnastics. Kota is intrigued—and she's even more intrigued when she learns that Riley, the new girl, is Deaf, and that the best way to communicate will be to learn sign language. But Riley, who's struggling with recent loss, isn't so sure that she wants to make new friends, to let new people in.

Despite not even being able to turn a cartwheel (it's on my bucket list, so maybe someday), I have a high level of curiosity about gymnastics, and this was a no-brainer of a read for me. There's a fair amount going on in the story: Kota and Riley are both competitive gymnasts, but they aren't sure if their skill will take them as far as they want to go; Riley is dealing with grief and making new connections; Kota has a fall early on and has a hard time regaining her confidence on a particular apparatus. I wish we saw a bit more of Riley in particular outside gymnastics, as even she doesn't seem to know who she is outside the gym. I love how much Sign we see, though, and how willing Kota is to go outside her comfort zone.

The art is not really my style: the cover image should give you a good idea of what's inside, but the art reads as 'comic' rather than 'graphic novel' to me, and it took me a while to figure out where the characters were supposed to fit in the world because Kota has the visual and emotional energy of a twelve-year-old boy. (I didn't check out any of Nadine's earlier work before reading this, which is probably just as well; although the lines are the same, I think this is likely a rather gentler story than some of their other work.) That said, art style is highly subjective, and I'm guessing that most readers will not have my same specific preferences there!

I'm curious about the choice to set this in the mid-90s: I'm guessing that that's because that's the period of competitive gymnastics that Nadine knows best, but I'm fascinated by the casualness with which Kota's teammates tease her about possibly having a crush on a girl—I mean, in the mid-90s I was still at an age to be working out things like writing all the letters in my name the right way around, and I didn't know what the word 'lesbian' meant (heard it for the first time in about...1999?), but I'm now super curious about how many could-be-queer teens (I Felt Myself Slipping is a friendship book, not a romance) had that sort of cheerful acceptance in that time period.

One to appeal to those interested in gymnastics, obviously; your art-style mileage may vary but it was a fun read.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Sunday, September 1, 2024

Children's books: Alphabet and more: "The Little i Who Lost His Dot", "The Day Punctuation Came to Town", "The Mighty Silent e!", and "Red Rover, Red Rover, Send a Vowel Over"

Children's books: Alphabet
The Little i Who Lost His Dot by Kimberlee Gard, illustrated by Sandie Sonke (Familius)
The Day Punctuation Came to Town by Kimberlee Gard, illustrated by Sandie Sonke (Familius)
The Mighty Silent e! by Kimberlee Gard, illustrated by Sandie Sonke (Familius)
Red Rover, Red Rover, Send a Vowel Over by Kimberlee Gard, illustrated by Sandie Sonke (Familius)


In The Little i Who Lost His Dot, a twist on a classic alphabet book, Little i goes off to school...only to find that he's lost his dot! His classmates are ready to leap in and provide solutions: Little a finds an acorn to use as a dot, Little l suggests a light bulb...but nothing seems quite right. What is a lowercase letter to do?

The illustrations are simple but colorful, letting the alphabet letters be the stars of the show. I also really like that there's more story here than just the alphabet—there's a whole alphabet school where little letters learn to make words, and alphabet parents—and that the things the other little letters suggest are largely a departure from things seen in many alphabet books.

Overall, a cute and useful read for little ones who are making it out of ABC and into abc.

There are some new kids in town—what should the alphabet make of them‽ The Day Punctuation Came to Town, the next book of the series, sets out to answer just that...

Now, I don't know how little kids feel about books about punctuation, but I'm all for them. This book keeps it simple: period, comma, exclamation mark, question mark (silent apostrophe hovering about on occasion). You won't see dashes or interrobangs or ellipses; you won't see colons or semicolons (or parentheses). I'd love to have those addressed in a book for slightly more advanced readers. But the playful way these stories play out reminds me of the Schoolhouse Rock videos I sometimes watched in class when I was little, and that can only ever be a good thing. This won't give an early reader a perfect understanding of punctuation, but the characters are distinct/memorable enough to be helpful to kids who are just shaky on the idea of punctuation in general.

Meanwhile, in The Mighty Silent e!, Little e feels a little left out sometimes...but mostly he doesn't mind being on the outskirts. He knows that someday it'll be his turn to shine—and when words that require a silent "e" crop up in class, it's his time to shine.

The Mighty Silent e! (which I may have mentally retitled as The Silent e Saves the Day) introduces early readers to the idea that English requires (you guessed it) a silent "e" in some words to make the word sound right. (Or: som words hav an "e" becaus otherwis they don't mak sens...) Readers might not understand why the word works this way, but the illustrations will give them a chance to practice sounding out words with and without that dastardly—excuse me, heroic—e and maybe come up with some words of their own that might work this way. (Would be a great read for any Kates, Nates, Janes...)

Colorful illustrations personify the letters in a super cute way and might help reluctant learners to feel a little more invested in the plight of the silent e.

In Red Rover, Red Rover, Send a Vowel Over, the classroom vowels aren't quite sure where they fit in...though Little a is a little disgruntled that she's always asked to go first. But a quick game (or rather, reinvention) of Red Rover fixes all that—because you can't do much without vowels!

(Just for fun: n Rd Rvr, Rd Rvr, Snd Vwl v, th clssrm vwls rn't qt sr whr thy ft n...thgh Lttl s lttl dsgrntld tht sh's lwys skd t g frst. Bt qck gm (r rthr, rnvntn) f Rd Rvr fxs ll tht—bcs y cn't d mch wtht vwls!)

Like the other books in this series, this is a very introductory look at a part of language, but I can see it helping early readers remember what's a consonant and what's a vowel...and what one special letter can be either. (I'm glad the book mentions that, because when I saw Little y playing with the consonants I was a little concerned that y would be written off as only a consonant!) A worthy addition to the collection.

Thanks to the authors and publisher for providing review copies through NetGalley.

Review: "Hope, Faith & Destiny" by Laxmidas A. Sawkar

Hope, Faith & Destiny by Laxmidas A. Sawkar Published June 2024 ★★★ These are the memoirs of a doctor who was born and raised in India a...