These are the books I read in December 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
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Sadie’s whole world breaks down when her little sister is murdered, the only thing keeping her going is avenging her death. Told through two perspectives, one of Sadie and her journey to find the killer, the other from a true crime podcaster following in her footsteps, this compelling narrative unfolds magnificently, with revelations about what exactly happened to Sadie and what caused her to hunt one man with the intention to kill him. A bold story about the importance of family and the insidiousness that can be hidden by a beautiful façade.
People of Pride by Chase Clemesha, MD
{Digital Copy provided by NetGalley and Capstone} This is a short and sweet book highlighting LGBTQ+ people and their contributions to society. I enjoyed the approachable format and the wide variety of people explored in these pages. The only things that irked me were that the level of detail and writing style varied a little between various people, and that the definition given for bisexual is somewhat outdated/incorrect. This short book will be available February 2021!
We are Okay by Nina LaCour
Something about this book is just so comfortable, so tranquil and tender. While the premise is relatively basic, a girl coming to terms with her grief and her complicated relationship to her family, the way it was told was simply beautiful. The landscapes and atmosphere was very immersive and the characters bitter sweet and lovely. A great read especially in winter times.
The Child by Sebastian Fitzek
A terminally ill child believes he was a killer in a previous life which leads him to ask for a defense lawyer to take his case. This spirals into a story about murder, revenge, child abuse, pedophilia, and a cat-and-mouse game with a psychopath set in the streets of Berlin. The story itself was definitely entertaining if a bit overdramatic and far-fetched at times, the characters were a bit basic, but relatively good. What really elevated this from a decent to a good story was the voice acting, music, and sound design. It was incredibly well-acted, immersive, and even scary. Had I read this as a physical book as opposed to this audio play, I would have enjoyed it much less. The ending was a bit weak, but this was still a great experience.
Point Roberts by Alexander Rigby
{Copy provided by NetGalley and Girl Friday Productions} Point Roberts is a mysterious town, much more so than Liza realizes when she is sent there to live with her new foster family. Every February the town goes on lockdown, and this February the decades long mystery surrounding the place will finally be solved. 15 murders that happened 30 years ago. A group of misfits of various ages, all connected to the victims. I did appreciate the diversity of the cast a lot, from gay characters to older characters to several multi-dimensional female characters. The mystery itself was really engaging and I liked following along to find out what happened. This is an upcoming release (February 2021), so look for it if you are a fan of mysteries and found family dynamics.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
I had been recommended this book over and over, and after reading The Inexplicable Logic of My Life a while ago, I was sure I’d love this book. Turned out I was right. Aristotle and Dante is such a lovely coming of age story, full of family, loss, love, growing up, and trying to find yourself. I loved everything about it, from the family dynamics to the characters to the language to the plot developments. There is so much heart in every page, it’s basically overflowing. It’s gorgeous, bold, honest. It’s everything.
There was histrionic laughter at the clowns cadaver by N. Alexsander Sidirov
{Digital copy provided by NetGalley}
This is a truly unique work of poetry, and literature in general. It questions the nature of life, love, and modern existence, all while being very queer in the best ways. While I enjoyed a lot of lines, passages and pages, this collection was vague and disconnected at times, with some things working for me and some distinctly not. Some pages just seemed pointless and annoying, vulgar at times, not always in a tasteful way, or abstraction for abstraction’s sake. Definitely more than worth a read though!
The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg
{Digital copy provided by NetGalley and Bastei Lübbe} Jordan is a nerdy teenager whose life is already consumed with looking after his mentally struggling mother when a hasty plan by her to earn enough money for their house mortgage leaves him alone in his dad’s old food truck with no plan and five grand needed. Lucky that his classmate Max was there just at the right time to sign up to help. Max is a sporty half Mexican boy known for his big smile, but during their summer they see behind each other’s facades, strengthening themselves and each other in the process. This odd-couple-esque dynamic is wonderful to witness, especially since they support each other in their differences while also encouraging growth and change. This book does deal with a lot of heavy issues, from financial troubles, addiction, death, anxiety, to sexual assault, all of which is handled in a great way. But beyond a novel that treats these issues in the manner they deserve, this book is also fun, adventurous, and plain funny. The hot Arizona summer and the food truck setting were amazing and really atmospheric. The way this book discusses racism and homophobia and how people experiencing such adversity is very realistic in my opinion, and I love the development behind it all.
The Mellification by Nat Buchbinder
{Copy Provided by NetGalley} Holly is a transgender vampire living in an underground society meant to protect vampires from those meaning them harm. His greatest wish is to finally receive his new name, a traditional act done by the lead vampire, something he is refused more than once. Strange things start occurring in the colony, and the eerie story unfolds. This is a fast paced book set mostly in a New York Cemetery, with the mysterious rooms hidden underground. I liked the mythology of vampires in this world, the different perspectives, as well as the general weirdness of the story. It was really entertaining. My biggest complaints were that some of Cain (Holly’s partner)’s actions weren’t understandable and that the ending was too open und a little rushed. It is certainly a testament to the author that I wanted more of this book than I got. This is the only book I can think of in which a character turns into a swarm of bees, and I love that about it. A pleasure!
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Ariel is a high school senior whose goal for the past three years has been to get into Harvard, and working to maintain the resume to do so. But this year is different, with even harder work and responsibilities just stacking on top of each other. When he fails a calculus test, he asks his classmate and family friend Amir for help tutoring. While this has a gay romance at the center of it, it is really a story of how stressful school can be and how asking too much of yourself can be really harmful, especially trying to do all of it alone. I really loved the character growth all around as well as the family and general group dynamics. Especially the care that went into having a diverse cast of characters, including one of the most present and centered Jewish characters in any media I can recall, was amazing. In general this was a thoughtful book that really makes you want to take better care of yourself.
The Prom by Saundra Mitchell
After watching the movie The Prom, I was immediately obsessed, so when I saw this novelization in a local store I knew I had to finally get it. And it was just as wonderful as I thought it would be. This story of a gay high school teen who just wants to take her girlfriend to prom, but faces adversity in her small Indiana town, only to have a bunch of eccentric Broadway actors intervene works just as well as a book as it does as a musical or a movie. Some plot points are different, and the focus is much more on the teenagers than the adults, but it is just as amazing. Really a joyful book with a hell of a lot of heart!
Wider Than the Sky by Katherine Rothschild
{Digital copy provided by NetGalley} When Sabine and Blythe’s dad suddenly and mysteriously dies, her mother and a man named Charlie make them move into a new town where everything seems a bit too perfect. While dealing with grieving the loss of their father, they have to navigate not only a new home and school, but also solve the mystery behind Charlie, and their dad. The relatively quickly uncovered mystery, that Sabine and Blythe’s dad was bisexual and polygamous, in a relationship with both their mother and Charlie, and that he died of an HIV-related infection, was pretty unique and engaging, but could have been revealed in a more profound manner. I really liked the exploration of what you really know about someone, even someone as close to you as your family. The actual storyline was definitely entertaining, but I felt a bit too annoyed at the characters, because a lot if drama could have been avoided with one or two conversations. I liked the representation of bisexuality and polygamy, although the only character who falls under these categories is dead throughout the whole book. Same on the HIV/AIDS representation. It felt a bit too much like a relatively generic young adult novel that used these identities as a backdrop to make it more interesting and unique. This book will be released near the end of this month.
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
When Rafe, openly gay since 8th grade, goes off to attend an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts, he decides he wants to live without the pressure his label has given him, and so-to-speak becomes “openly straight”. Throughout the semester he struggles with who he really is, falling in love with his new friend Ben, and the consequences of his lies and omissions. This was a really interesting book, especially discussing the different sides of being gay, and what effects it can have on your life. It was an interesting read with a few weaknesses!
The Greatest Superpower by Alex Sanchez
{Copy provided by NetGalley} Jorge’s life is pretty unremarkable until his parents announce they are getting divorced because one of them is transgender. What follows is a novel where the whole family adjusts to this new reality and figures a way to go forward. I feel a little conflicted about this book. On one hand it has a whole host of queer characters beyond the transgender parent, is relatively thoughtful in its exploration of sexuality and gender and the links between them, and discusses other issues such as racism, especially from a mixed-race perspective, and suicide. On the other hand it is pretty uncomfortable to have a trans character constantly misgendered even though the reasons for it are understandable, and the target audience seems a bit unclear. The children are 13 years old, but some of the issues and the way the adults talk to the children seems much better suited for older teenagers or even young adults. I couldn’t quite love this book, despite some fun characters, varied representation, and important issues. It will be released in February 2021.
Solitaire by Alice Oseman
Tori Spring is a pessimistic cynical 16-year-old with few friends, a complicated family, and not much going on in her life. But everything changes when a mysterious organization named Solitaire starts causing havoc at her school, never mind her childhood friend Lukas returning into her life, a new boy named Michael Holden, and the general ebb and flow of her life. This is a very unique novel, mostly because Tori is a really unique narrator. She’s funny, sarcastic, and incredibly introspective. The story itself is rather interesting as well as the characters, but she is what really makes this book special. At times this is a bit of a pretentious read, some things are hard to follow, and the ending is a little ridiculous, but this is still a great story, especially for teens and young adults.
Recommendations
Fiction
You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner
“When Julia finds a slur about her best friend scrawled across the back of the Kingston School for the Deaf, she covers it up with a beautiful (albeit illegal) graffiti mural.
Her supposed best friend snitches, the principal expels her, and her two mothers set Julia up with a one-way ticket to a “mainstream” school in the suburbs, where she’s treated like an outcast as the only deaf student. The last thing she has left is her art, and not even Banksy himself could convince her to give that up.
Out in the ’burbs, Julia paints anywhere she can, eager to claim some turf of her own. But Julia soon learns that she might not be the only vandal in town. Someone is adding to her tags, making them better, showing off—and showing Julia up in the process. She expected her art might get painted over by cops. But she never imagined getting dragged into a full-blown graffiti war.”
Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer
“When his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care.
Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year. And when her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping it from her parents might be more than she can handle.
When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship…
This captivating, heartfelt novel asks the question: Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons?”
Political
Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide, Skills and Strategies for Conversations That Work by Tania Israel
“Political polarization is at an all-time high, and the consequences for our personal relationships are significant. Many people have friends and family members with whom they feel they can no longer communicate because of their extreme political views. In this book, psychologist Tania Israel presents her program for helping people have meaningful, constructive conversations with those they disagree with politically.”
The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby
“In August of 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, calling on all Americans to view others not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Yet King included another powerful word, one that is often overlooked. Warning against the “tranquilizing drug of gradualism,” King emphasized the fierce urgency of now, the need to resist the status quo and take immediate action.
King’s call to action, first issued over fifty years ago, is relevant for the church in America today. Churches remain racially segregated and are largely ineffective in addressing complex racial challenges. In The Color of Compromise, Jemar Tisby takes us back to the root of this injustice in the American church, highlighting the cultural and institutional tables we have to flip in order to bring about progress between black and white people.”
Nonfiction
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
“This is a book about the joy of discovery. A playful, entertaining, and mind-bending introduction to modern physics, it’s already a major bestseller in Italy and the United Kingdom. Carlo Rovelli offers surprising—and surprisingly easy to grasp—explanations of general relativity, quantum mechanics, elementary particles, gravity, black holes, the complex architecture of the universe, and the role humans play in this weird and wonderful world. He takes us to the frontiers of our knowledge: to the most minute reaches of the fabric of space, back to the origins of the cosmos, and into the workings of our minds. “
A Quick & Easy Guide to Consent by Isabella Rotman
“How do you tell someone you want to do stuff with them? How do you ask if they want to do stuff with you? How do you know what stuff you want to do with each other? Enter: Sargeant Yes Means Yes from the Consent Cavalry, a beacon of clarity in a fuzzy minefield of questions. Sarge drops in on a diverse range of folks deciding whether to engage in sexual activity in this short and fun comic guide to communicating what you want, don’t want, and how you want it!
With wit and charm, Sarge also includes tips on what affirmative consent looks like, advocating for what you want, and setting boundaries that honor your comfort and safety. The result is a positive resource illustrating how easy it really is to respect each other’s bodies and desires.”
The Congressional Report 