These are the books I read in October 2020 with a rating reflecting my opinion on them. I am leaving books not available in English out for your convenience. At the bottom, I will be sharing some recommendations that fall under the category fiction, non-fiction, or non-fiction political. These recommendations are books I have not read myself, so proceed with caution as I cannot speak to their actual quality.
Read
Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith
This is a beautiful love story of transgender teen Pony and not-so-shallow cheerleader Georgia. Cheesy as it may be, this book was such a joy (and a heartbreak) to read. Love love love!
Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) by L. C. Rosen
Jack, 17, gay, and outgoing as hell, starts writing a sex advice column on his friend Jenna’s urging. Suddenly he is getting threatening notes. Who is stalking him? And more importantly, who does Jack want to be? This is a bold sex-positive and inclusive novel, very much like the author’s other book, Camp. Jack of Hearts is definitely more daring though. Jack is such a vibrant character and his column responses had incredibly vital messages, from consent to asexuality and gay fetishization. The sex is a bit in your face at times, but I still highly enjoyed this book!
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Read for VC Book Club, this is a classic and deservedly so. While a product of its time, The Great Gatsby transcends its historical boundaries with beautifully haunting language, a compelling narrative, and fascinating characters. Truly an experience to read, especially as an adult.
Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
Tanner is a high school senior rapidly approaching graduation. Living as a non Mormon in a largely Mormon small town in Utah, he keeps his bisexuality a secret. When he signs up for a creative writing class where the goal is to write a whole book in a semester, he has no idea what he is in for. Teaching Assistant, about-to-be-a-published-author and Mormon bishop’s son Sebastian enters Tanner’s life, and together they embark on an unlikely whirlwind romance full of heartache, longing, and struggle. My hopes for this book were high, a queer romance plus a book about writing books? Yes! And indeed it surpassed my expectations. This is not only a highly emotional and engaging love story, but a compassionate yet honest look at religion, prejudice, and the pressures of identity. The issues in this book are so real and vivid, it was an intense reading experience. It’s a wonderful work of art and I am glad to have finally read it.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
An epic tale spanning 7 decades set in Ireland focused on Cyril Avery, a gay man. In heartbreaking fashion, his life is laid out, with all the beautiful and ugly parts, and are a lot of those. The staunchly catholic Ireland of the 20th century was by no means a safe place for LGBTQ* people, and a lot of this book is about the horrors committed by prejudiced individuals. I wrote a term paper about it, what can I say more? 😉
Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
Eerie and beautifully illustrated is this collection of short stories. I cannot overstate just how evocative and brilliant the art is, never mind the gripping stories themselves. A great scary read!
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
This is heartfelt story of a boy and his fox who both go on big journeys to discover who they are. Peter is forced to move to his grandfather, and his beloved pet fox can’t go with. Under pressure from his father, he abandons the fox in the woods, but quickly realizes that they can’t be separated. While he is going on a long march to retrieve his pet, the young fox is struggling to survive in the wild, especially in an area rapidly encroached on by war. This story may seem like a sweet tale of human-animal friendships, but the majority of it is about trauma, war, and loss. This book doesn’t miss a beat to talk about serious issues despite the target age group being children, with both the human perspective and the animal perspective being extremely gripping. And while the ending seemed a bit rushed, it was still a great read!
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell
An approachable book on leadership. Quick and supported by great narration, especially related to historical and personal anecdotes, it largely holds up 20+ years after publication. I just had two issues with it: a lot of the imagery used to illustrate the laws is from two fields, church, and sports. That leaves people out who are not familiar with the particulars, especially because of the age of the book. The other was that there wasn’t a lot on how to implement the laws beyond just recognizing their existence. Still, a digestible read for any aspiring leader.
Loveless by Alice Oseman
Georgia is 18 and heading off to college, and she still hasn’t kissed anyone. What follows is the most heartwarming, lovable, and captivating journey of self discovery I have read in a while. Georia is aromantic and asexual, something she comes to accept and even embrace throughout the book. I can’t iterate how much I love this book. The plot? Sweet, relatable, engaging. The characters? Amazing! I loved all of them, in particular Georgia, Ellis, and Sunil! Aaaaaaaaaa, this is such an important read for queer kids and adults, but more than impeccable representation it is the story I have wanted to read for such a long time. A story that affirms that friendships are glorious and in no way less than romantic relationships. That being different is okay. That everyone different deserves to have a happy ending. Or in the words of Georgia to Pip: “you deserve magical moments like that”.
Recommendations
Fiction
Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake
“Mara and Owen are about as close as twins can get. So when Mara’s friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn’t know what to think. Can the brother she loves really be guilty of such a violent crime? Torn between the family she loves and her own sense of right and wrong, Mara is feeling lost, and it doesn’t help that things have been strained with her ex-girlfriend and best friend since childhood, Charlie.
As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie navigate this new terrain, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits in her future. With sensitivity and openness, this timely novel confronts the difficult questions surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault.”
Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe
“Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. He is a star debater and popular student at the prestigious FATE academy, the dutiful first-generation Haitian son, and the trusted dog walker for his wealthy New York City neighbors. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend his dream college, Columbia University.
There is only one person who seems immune to Henri’s charms: his “intense” classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy. When she uncovers Henri’s less-than-honest dog-walking scheme, she blackmails him into helping her change her image at school. Henri agrees, seeing a potential upside for himself.
Soon what started as a mutual hustle turns into something more surprising than either of them ever bargained for. . . .”
Political
Down Along with That Devil’s Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory, and the Legacy of White Supremacy by Connor Towne O’Neill
“In Down Along with That Devil’s Bones, journalist Connor Towne O’Neill takes a deep dive into American history, exposing the still-raging battles over monuments dedicated to one of the most notorious Confederate generals, Nathan Bedford Forrest. Through the lens of these conflicts, O’Neill examines the legacy of white supremacy in America, in a sobering and fascinating work.”
The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America’s 16th President—and Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
“Everyone knows the story of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, but few are aware of the original conspiracy to kill him four years earlier in 1861, literally on his way to Washington, DC, for his first inauguration.
The conspirators were part of a pro-Southern secret society that didn’t want an anti-slavery President in the White House. They planned an elaborate scheme to assassinate the brand new President in a Baltimore train station as Lincoln’s inauguration train passed through en route to the Capital. The plot was investigated by famed detective Allan Pinkerton, who infiltrated the group with undercover agents, including one of the first female private detectives in America. Had the assassination succeeded, there would have been no Lincoln Presidency, and the course of the Civil War and American history would have forever been altered.”
Nonfiction
Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm
“Trinity, the debut graphic book by the gifted illustrator Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, depicts in vivid detail the dramatic history of the race to build and the decision to drop the first atomic bomb. This sweeping historical narrative traces the spark of invention from the laboratories of nineteenth-century Europe to the massive industrial and scientific efforts of the Manhattan Project. Along the way, Fetter-Vorm takes special care to explain the fundamental science of nuclear reactions. With the clarity and accessibility that only a graphic book can provide, Trinity transports the reader into the core of a nuclear reaction—into the splitting atoms themselves.”
Fossil Man: The Quest for the Oldest Skeleton and the Origins of Humankind by Kermit Pattison
“A behind-the-scenes account of the discovery of the oldest skeleton of a human ancestor, named “Ardi”–a find that shook the world of paleoanthropology and radically altered our understanding of human evolution.”
The Congressional Report 