Books I read in June 2023
Jul. 3rd, 2023 03:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amado1Total: 8 books
— Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler;
— Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids by Maia Szalavitz;
— Helen House by Kayla Kuman Upadhyaya;
— Pageboy by Elliot Page;
— Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America by Krista Burton;
— Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen;
— Ferocious Romance: What My Encounters with the Right Taught Me About Sex, God, and Fury by Donna Minkowitz;
— Female Masculinity by J. Jack Halberstam.
Still reading:
— Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
I liked all these books! This month definitely had a queer theme. The only non-queer book is "Help at Any Cost", which still covered some gay victims of the troubled-teen industry and the way their sexuality was used against them.
If I had to pick a favorite, it would be "Female Masculinity." This one took me the longest to read but it was worth it. Juicy. Loved sinking my teeth into it. But if I were to recommend a nonfiction book, "Female Masculinity" would actually be last on my list -- it's so dense! I would rec "Ferocious Romance" first (much slimmer and more conversational).
Of the fiction books, "Helen House," "Patricia," and "Home Field" are all solid 4-star books. Helen House I think had the most artistic merit and is most deserving of the rec, but at a slim 50 pages, it's also rather rushed at the end. I detailed the pros and cons of "Patricia" in a separate post; I whole-heartedly recommend "Home Field" with the caveat that it's a very fluffy, popcorn high school romance. No real stakes, but noteworthy realism in the way homophobia and sexism are addressed.
Least Favorite Book Award goes to: Elliot Page's "Pageboy." Sorry, Elliot, I still love you.
Most Harrowing Book Award goes to: "Help at Any Cost." Jesus Christ.
— Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler;
— Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids by Maia Szalavitz;
— Helen House by Kayla Kuman Upadhyaya;
— Pageboy by Elliot Page;
— Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America by Krista Burton;
— Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen;
— Ferocious Romance: What My Encounters with the Right Taught Me About Sex, God, and Fury by Donna Minkowitz;
— Female Masculinity by J. Jack Halberstam.
Still reading:
— Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
I liked all these books! This month definitely had a queer theme. The only non-queer book is "Help at Any Cost", which still covered some gay victims of the troubled-teen industry and the way their sexuality was used against them.
If I had to pick a favorite, it would be "Female Masculinity." This one took me the longest to read but it was worth it. Juicy. Loved sinking my teeth into it. But if I were to recommend a nonfiction book, "Female Masculinity" would actually be last on my list -- it's so dense! I would rec "Ferocious Romance" first (much slimmer and more conversational).
Of the fiction books, "Helen House," "Patricia," and "Home Field" are all solid 4-star books. Helen House I think had the most artistic merit and is most deserving of the rec, but at a slim 50 pages, it's also rather rushed at the end. I detailed the pros and cons of "Patricia" in a separate post; I whole-heartedly recommend "Home Field" with the caveat that it's a very fluffy, popcorn high school romance. No real stakes, but noteworthy realism in the way homophobia and sexism are addressed.
Least Favorite Book Award goes to: Elliot Page's "Pageboy." Sorry, Elliot, I still love you.
Most Harrowing Book Award goes to: "Help at Any Cost." Jesus Christ.
