Well this was a delightful old-fashioned pirate adventure story, set in the 12th century Indian Ocean Islamic world and starring a badass woman NakhudWell this was a delightful old-fashioned pirate adventure story, set in the 12th century Indian Ocean Islamic world and starring a badass woman Nakhuda (ship captain) and mom. I loved the supporting characters (two are queer), the "let's get the gang back together for one last hooray" vibe, the villain(s) (is Raksh a villain??), how thirsty for pretty men Amina is, and the rich world-building -- historical and fantasy. Excellent as an audiobook!...more
There is some useful information in here, but it is certainly not a book meant to be read over a three-week loan period from the library. About 40 pagThere is some useful information in here, but it is certainly not a book meant to be read over a three-week loan period from the library. About 40 pages in, I feel like the "real" content has yet to start and it's still introducing itself. The organization is terrible, with frequent allusions to concepts then a side note that it will be discussed in more detail later and everything as far as I read felt like it wasn't detailed enough. I think it might be more useful as an owned book to refer to and read very slowly, but I don't know if I actually like it enough to buy it, especially in hard cover. Maybe this content is better distilled in podcast form, which is what it is adapted from....more
A truly incredible essay collection, effortlessly weaving together personal narrative and (pop) cultural criticism. Themes include: motherhood, queernA truly incredible essay collection, effortlessly weaving together personal narrative and (pop) cultural criticism. Themes include: motherhood, queerness, pregnancy, true crime, horror movies, bisexuality / labels, patriarchy and men's violence. If you like Carmen Maria Machado's non-fiction (particularly her essay on the cult film Jennifer's Body from the queer horror anthology It Came from the Closet) and Melissa Febo's Girlhood, read this!
There were some elements of this contemporary rom-com / adult coming of age story that I liked -- a bi breastfeeding new mom main character, for one! There were some elements of this contemporary rom-com / adult coming of age story that I liked -- a bi breastfeeding new mom main character, for one! -- but overall it just didn't hold my interest very well and I found some of the writing pretty cliché.
If you're looking for a solid genre romance, this isn't it; other plotlines (Hannah breaking up/forming a new relationship with her kid's dad, starting an AirBnB business) take up just as much space as the romance. Speaking of the romance, these two didn't excite me much. I found River, the love interest, pretty bland.
I think this book has an audience, but it's not me! Also, I still can't get over this book trying to get me on board with Hannah's parents being referred to as "G-ma" and "Big Daddy." I could not suspend my belief enough to see *other adults* calling them that....more
A unique science fiction debut that really picked up speed in the second half. There are two timelines: a past where Asuka the protagonist and other tA unique science fiction debut that really picked up speed in the second half. There are two timelines: a past where Asuka the protagonist and other teens are participating in an elite competitive school to earn spots on a one-way mission to reestablish humanity on another planet in the wake of devastating climate change and world wars. The present is Asuka and her colleagues in space after 10 years of hibernation, dealing with the aftermath of an explosion that killed the captain of the ship, leaving them with a locked room type mystery to solve. Someone among them is a traitor, but who? How?
I had questions about how some of the tech worked that weren't quite fleshed out enough. I don't think I've ever read a novel that had so many nonbinary characters as well as a number of pregnant people, which was cool! There were also interesting investigations into AI and virtual reality. Personally I found the brain implant VR everyone had -- called DAR -- pretty creepy and weird, albeit believable. Plenty of sapphic characters too, although not the main character....more
A very queer and very funny delight, this memoir about Michelle Tea's years long project of getting pregnant and having a kid which she started at theA very queer and very funny delight, this memoir about Michelle Tea's years long project of getting pregnant and having a kid which she started at the ripe age of 40! From inseminating at home with her drag queen friend's sperm to doing IVF to implant her partner's fertilized egg in her uterus, the memoir is super candid, casual, and reassuring even while Tea goes through disappointment after disappointment. I love how open and honest she is about her mental illness, sobriety, body, witchiness, money anxiety, and other stuff conventionally considered TMI or woo-woo.
She reads the audiobook and adds a bunch of chutzpah to it that I really enjoyed. Also, lol at her determining when to have a c-section based on what her kid's astrological sign will be. These are the kinds of queer details I relish that are missing in cishet pregnancy stories....more
A truly unique dark fairy tale with a lot to say about trauma, motherhood, family, tradition, stories, and patriarchy. If you're looking for a vampireA truly unique dark fairy tale with a lot to say about trauma, motherhood, family, tradition, stories, and patriarchy. If you're looking for a vampire-esque story with a bookish twist and queer characters to boot, this is for you! And yes: they do actually eat books. But some of them get their knowledge from other, uh, more direct means: human brains.
This is a book big on ideas and plot, rather than characters, which is not my favourite combination, so I'm a bit surprised I liked this as much as I did. The fierce maternal love thread really hit me hard as a new mom, so that's one thing. And it really does feel like a modern fairy tale, too, which is another factor. Fairy tales as a genre are not much for characterization. And that's not to say Sunyi Dean doesn't flesh out her characters. They're not one dimensional. Cai, as a person who's an amalgamation of multiple people, is a puzzle of a character I am still contemplative. I would have liked a little more attention to the characters' emotional interiors and to their relationships (Devon's friendship with Jarrow and romance with [redacted]: more please!)
That said, Devon is a tall, dykey badass and it was fun to see her develop from this young woman who believes the lies her family's patriarch tells her to going like full rebellion rogue. Devon's story of ruthless motherly love is left distinctly unfinished...are we getting a sequel? I hope so!...more
This book is amazing. As a new mom I feel incredibly seen by Oshetsky's weird tale of giving birth to and taking care of an owl-baby. I felt the motheThis book is amazing. As a new mom I feel incredibly seen by Oshetsky's weird tale of giving birth to and taking care of an owl-baby. I felt the mother Tiny's experiences viscerally. They are otherworldly yet so true.
Both fabulism and magical realism at their respective best, Chouette is a fierce, dark, loving story about motherhood and caring for a child that others want to 'fix.' It works both as a fable and as a literal story in its own right. There's a lot to chew on in a reading of Chouette as a narrative about queerness and/or disability but it's not only that, or it's those things and also more. It's not a story where the metaphor takes over. Oshetsky's prose is spare but simultaneously so rich, totally hypnotic and velvety but also to-the-point and brutal.
Some favourite passages:
"The pursuit of goodness is a fragile aspiration when survival calls for ruthless cruelty, especially from mothers."
"I resolve never again to be taken in by those who offer friendship to me, and acceptance of you, merely as a way to feel good about themselves."
"I'm talking about our little girl. I'm trying to say that she's already perfect. She's a small, perfect thing in this world. She doesn't need to change for you to love her. She just needs you to keep still long enough to see her."
I truly can't recommend this wonderfully strange, very queer, very feminist story enough!...more
CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
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