Camp-- "I don't mind the masc-only thing, but if you can't enjoy a drag queen, you're probably a soulless monster"

Title: Camp
    

Author: L.C. Rosen


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main characters are gay, and everything across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum is included


Content Warning: The f-word that rhymes with "bag it" is used as a pejorative

   
What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): In order to get adorable Hudson to fall in love with him, Randy makes himself over as Del, a masculine, short-haired jock. For a while, it seems that his plan is working, and Del and Hudson become the "it" couple at camp, even though Del is depressed to have ditched the annual musical for sports. But how long can Del keep up his facade, and will Hudson love Randy as much as he loves Del?


What I think: I was a Girl Scout Camp counselor for five summers, and I think working at Camp Outland (or its real-life counterpart) would be AWESOME. What a great place it would be! And a musical every year? My high school self would have been SO THERE. And my grown-up self would love to direct and watch a gender-bending, queer version of Bye Bye Birdie. So much fun! I was so asexual in high school and college that I know I would not have had the great summer romance, but the theatre would have been 😍😍😍 for me.

The Lost Book of the White--"I guess I assumed you came to taunt us and lecture us"

Title: The Lost Book of the White (Eldest Curses Book Two)

Authors: Wesley Chu and Cassandra Clare

LGBTQ+ Representation: Main characters are gay and bisexual 


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): An old enemy (and not-dead friend) returns to torment Alec and Magnus again, this time stabbing Magnus with a magical thorn, which, if not fixed in time, will make Magnus a servant to the demon Sammael. With the help of their friends, Alec and Magnus venture into hell to save the day. But can their warlock son, Max, survive an extended visit with his grandma without accidentally burning down the institute with his out-of-control magic?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): I was looking forward to reading this Eldest Curses book even more than Red Scrolls because of the timeline in which it was set, which is after Mortal Instruments but before Dark Artifices. Alec and Magnus are new parents and are deliriously happy and kissy. And Max excitedly and accidentally sets fires with his cute, baby warlock magic.

Boy Erased--"I wish none of his had ever happened. Sometimes I thank God it did."

Title: Boy Erased: A Memoir

Author: Garrard Conley


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main character and several secondary characters are gay

Content Warning: Conversion therapy, suicidal thoughts, depression

What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Garrard is sexually assaulted and outed as gay to his conservative religious parents when he is in his freshman year of college. His parents send him to Love in Action, a now-defunct conversion "reparative" therapy center in order to "cure" Garrard of his "sin of same-sex attraction" so he would become heterosexual. Garrard's stay at Love in Action is extremely psychologically damaging.


What I think: This post has been in my drafts folder longer than anything I have ever written--I read Boy Erased over two years ago, around the time I first started blogging, and it affected me profoundly. The book--well, I am going to quote myself from Ziggy, Stardust & Me:

I used to be able to read about topics of sickness and child death, but having kids seems to have wired my brain differently; now I get upset to the point of panic attacks when reading or watching children suffering (It's embarrassing. During one memorable incident at a teacher in-service I left the room sobbing after watching a PSA about children getting injured in a meth lab explosion).

I realize that Conley is over 18 even during the events in the book, but I could not help but imagine my trans child in conversion therapy, being told that something is very wrong with him, and my heart just breaks for every single person who has had to undergo that.

Rick--"Maybe you're blooming now, but you're just not the kind of flower he was expecting"

Title: Rick

Author: Alex Gino


LGBTQ+ Representation: Asexual main character, Melissa from George, and a group of kids at the Rainbow Spectrum Club.


Content Warning: Junior high bullies.

What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Rick is excited about starting junior high and spending more time with his grandpa (a fellow Rogue Space fan! Who knew?) but is getting a bit tired of his best friend Jeff, a bully and a jerk. And also, why do people keep asking Rick about girls? Is it okay not to want to date anyone? Rick finds himself enjoying Rainbow Spectrum club, where kids of all genders and identities meet.

What I think (spoilers ahead): I was super psyched to read Rick; my love for George is not a secret. I knew Rick would not have Melissa as a main character, so I am thrilled to report that she is in the book more than I had expected. Yay!

I write about friendship breakups as subplots these two books, and again, I think it's a topic that should be explored more often in middle-grades books because friendships grow and change over the years, and sometimes, friends outgrow each other.

Why I reread old favorites, OR: Warm, cuddly, teddy bear books

Reading and writing has always been a source of comfort for me, but I have been struggling with writer's block for a while. ADHD and anxiety are to blame for my writer's block often when I'm taking classes, but I have been home and watching the news which keeps getting worse and worse. Black lives matter, and my heart breaks for everyone affected by police brutality. 

Comfort reads for me.

Like many prolific readers (especially librarians-turned-book-sellers-who-get-employee-discounts), I have a towering TBR pile. And like other bloggers (at least I hope like other bloggers!), I have a stack of books that I've read and haven't written about yet (over 10), but I open my laptop and stare at some posts in draft mode. I have highly recommended and re-shared a book about protesters; I wrote about a few relatively light-hearted books earlier in the quarantine; I reminisced about childhood reads; I updated some of my blog pages. Yet I still haven't gotten as much written as I planned.

Instead, I have been rereading books or scenes from books that I have read hundreds of times before.

I came across this Washington Post article about a month ago, "For a lot of book lovers, rereading old favorites is the only reading they can manage at the moment." I also broke down and subscribed to the Post, but if you did not, here are some passages that I relate to:

If you’re wondering why rereads are what you most want, the answer is simple: Your brain, much like the rest of you, is tired. As many experts, including coach and author Alexis Rockley, have recently explained, our cognitive energy is a finite resource, steadily being used up by every piece of “new abnormal” we have to manage. . . 

That loss of cognitive energy for someone like me, who loves reading above all things save carbohydrates, means that my mind doesn’t have its usual pep when confronted with a new book, a new world and new characters. This was initially upsetting, as there are piles of new books I want to read. My solution for now is to revisit some of my favorite past companions instead. . . .

 Aarya Marsden, an avid romance reader who also writes reviews for my site, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, says that lately, she doesn’t have the energy to reread an entire book. To get around that problem, she is rereading her favorite scenes. “Ten minutes of comfort reading in the morning is enough to give me a happy buzz for the entire day,” she said. “It starts the day off on the right note and then I can read a new book at night.” . . .

There’s a sense of security that comes with a reread: You already know what’s going to happen, no spoiler alerts needed. That aspect appeals to Marsden. “There’s comfort in being able to predict and control your surroundings,” she said. “It’s a relief to sink into something that goes exactly to plan.” 

 The whole article, written by Sarah Wendell, of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books is amazing. Also, see "10 Reasons People Like To Reread Books, Because Nothing Beats That Old Familiar Feeling" "The Power of Rereading Your Favorite Books Right Now" and "Why We Reread in Times of Stress and Anxiety."

I could wax poetic about some of my favorite comfort reads, but probably you don't want to hear about all my cheesy romance novels packed tightly in my bookcase (if you haven't read Red, White, and Royal Blue, however, stop whatever you're doing and READ IT NOW).

My son's old teddy bear with two of my favorite books