Category: LGBTQ+ Literature
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Even Though I Knew The End – by C.L. Polk
Even Though I Knew The End has been on my radar since its publication; when one of the online book clubs where I discontinuously hang out chose it as a subject for this month’s discussion, I decided it was time to give it a go.
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Luck In The Shadows – by Lynn Flewelling
Sometimes ago I mentioned I was planning to read the Nightrunner series for a book club I had joined. In the end, I was caught up reading other books and I didn’t precisely respect all deadlines, however I did manage to start the series. So let’s talk about its first novel, shall we?
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How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? – by N.K. Jemisin
If you know me, odds are you know how much I love N.K. Jemisin: I have read and enjoyed all her novels and some of her shorter works, and whatever she publishes is on my auto-buy list. So, why hadn’t I read this specific book yet? Perhaps because, in general, I am not always the greatest fan of short story collections; I must say, however, that this one ended up being a very satisfying read. Not that I expected anything less.
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To Be Taught, If Fortunate – by Becky Chambers
I thought I knew what to expect from Becky Chambers: a futuristic setting, lots of cosy slice of life scenes, a very natural representation of queer characters, but most importantly an endless supply of hope and optimism. Her books are generally what I call “comfort reads”, in the best possible sense. Does this novella match the same description? Yes and no – let’s see why.
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Unwieldy Creatures – by Addie Tsai
There are premises that are inherently going to sell me a book they’re based on. For instance, if I hear about a queer, multiracial retelling of Frankenstein, with futuristic science, emotionally troubled characters, and multilingual references on the top of it, of course I am going to read it, it’s an unavoidable consequence if I’ve ever seen one. Does it mean I am automatically going to love the book? That’s something worth discussing more in depth.
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The Deep – by Rivers Solomon
After the beautiful and harrowing experience that was reading An Unkindness Of Ghosts, I was determined to read everything by Rivers Solomon, sooner or later. So when The Deep was selected as a subject by one of the online discussion groups I occasionally hang out with, I decided that the time had come.
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She Who Became The Sun – by Shelley Parker-Chan
She Who Became The Sun is one of those books that come surrounded by an aura of strange, ill-fitting expectations: advertised as “Mulan meets the Song of Achilles”, greatly hyped by the same content creators that generally promote YA fantasy novels, it is actually a not really that romantic, not even so magical retelling of the rise to power of the first Ming Emperor. Even though I was aware that the blurb was somehow misleading, I still approached it expecting something lighter and cacthier than the novel was actually ever meant to be.
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Ancillary Mercy – by Ann Leckie
After reading Ancillary Sword, I thought I had found a pattern in the Imperial Radch trilogy – so if the first book had built the world in broad strokes, and the second one had got a more focused scope, I expected the final volume to go back to large-scale conflicts and wrap up all themes and plots in an epic conclusion. It turns out I was wrong. While Ancillary Mercy does develop some themes that had been foreshadowed from the very beginning, it does so in a less expected way; in the end not everything is tied up as I had imagined, but the novel feels like a satisfying conclusion anyway. Perhaps even more so.
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A Master Of Djinn – by P. Djèlí Clark
If you follow this blog, the Dead Djinn Universe needs no introduction at this point. After talking about the shorter works set in its world, we now get to its longest and most famous piece, that is to say A Master Of Djinn. I was really excited to go back once again to P. Djèlí Clark’s enchanted Cairo, and even more so to see a more extensive exploration of its themes.
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The Death Of Vivek Oji – by Akwaeke Emezi
Here I am, once again back to the realm of highly anticipated reads. Already familiar with Emezi’s astonishing debut Freshwater, I was nothing less than excited to read their second book, that once again deals with themes of gender, identity, sexuality in the context of Nigerian culture. I was very eager to read it, and at the same time ready to get hurt; in both senses I was not disappointed.
