Tag Archives: LGBTQI

I Like Your Rotation by Jax Jacki Brown

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for kindred 12 queer book cover

Title: I Like Your Rotation
Author: Jax Jacki Brown
In: Kindred (Michael Earp)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, LGBTQI
Dates read: 12th May 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Walker Books
Year: 2019
5th sentence, 74th page: What if I could have a friend, like an actual cool friend?

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Synopsis

For this young girl just discovering herself, finding another LGBTQI+ girl who has the same disability as her is the best thing ever. But, then she has to contend with some unwanted emotions and experiences…

Thoughts

This year I’ve been steadily expanding my shelves to include more inclusive tales – neurodiverse, LGBTQI+, etc. What I realised on reading this is that I don’t have any good books about people in wheelchairs, amputees, etc. Definitely something that I want to improve on if anyone has any suggestions! But, this was a great start regardless…

The love interest in this story is seriously passionate, and more than willing to alienate people and argue for her rights. And so she should. I love that her point of view is very independent and organic, highlighting her needs and desires when that would sometimes not be so possible. It’s a great lesson for the friend that she makes within this story – that it’s okay to be difficult and emotional, you’re human and being in a wheelchair doesn’t mean that you can’t be. Or at least, that’s the big thing I got out of her character.

Although there isn’t that sweet, happily ever after ending to this story, it is still really, really good. There is a sense of finding oneself and discovering your own worth. Something that everyone needs to do, but, in the case of some people, like the protagonist of this short story, is a little bit more difficult. I imagine her wheeling off into her future and finding another happily ever after that she just wasn’t quite expecting.

<- Bitter DraughtSweet ->

Image source: Bookdepository

Bitter Draught by Michael Earp

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for kindred 12 queer book cover

Title: Bitter Draught
Author: Michael Earp
In: Kindred (Michael Earp)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, LGBTQI
Dates read: 7th May 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Walker Books
Year: 2019
5th sentence, 74th page: The stories say that shopkeepers and traders will hear a knock on their door close to midnight.

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Synopsis

Simeon has always been content in his little world with his parents, his sister and Wyatt. But a horrible illness and a journey to find the village witch rip his world apart.

Thoughts

Starting this story, I was really intrigued to find out where the “bitter draught” was going to come from. I was honestly expecting something that dealt with prejudice or the difficulties in realising that you are LGBTQI+. But, it wasn’t that at all. Like the first few short stories in this collection, the fact that Simeon was gay wasn’t even dealt with in any way expect to say that he had a significant other who was also male. I love this acceptance and simplicity in the writing. What I wasn’t sure on though was what the “bitter draught” would then end up being…

Simeon’s desire to help his sister, even if it means following a floating pebble and finding a witch that he’s kind of scared of was a nice little journey. It didn’t have that horrifying intensity of some of the similar stories that I’ve read. But it still lent a sense of urgency to Simeon’s journey. The fact that cracks in his relationship with Wyatt begin to appear just helps lend this sense of surrealness and intensity to their adventure. Even if it is technically all about saving Simeon’s sister…

The reveal of the “bitter draught” at the end of this story is bittersweet. It’s not as tragic as I was expecting, but it is also quite sad. Mostly, this story serves as a reminder that sometimes the most painful thing in the world is just the truth. And that can be quite a bitter pill to swallow…

<- In Case of Emergency, Break GlassI Like Your Rotation ->

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In Case of Emergency, Break Glass by Erin Gough

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for kindred 12 queer book cover

Title: In Case of Emergency, Break Glass
Author: Erin Gough
In: Kindred (Michael Earp)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, LGBTQI
Dates read: 20th April 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Walker Books
Year: 2019
5th sentence, 74th page: She gazes at Reg, and Reg gazes back, and the force of her gaze makes Amy’s chest heave.

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Synopsis

Amy can’t figure out why she just doesn’t feel… anything when she kisses her boyfriend. And then a fateful meeting on the job changes everything.

Thoughts

This was a nice, easy little read. One about discovering just what it is that makes you tick. Without being completely swept away in other, political, slightly more intense agendas. I love that it begins with Amy not quite understanding why Sam doesn’t make her excited by his kisses. And then ends with her finally finding someone who does. There is no real epiphany moment of being an LGBTQI+ person, but just a moment of, wow. So that’s what it should be like.

The combination of a young girl discovering her sexuality with the rebellious nature of Reg (the love interest) is kind of fun. There is great imagery of birds soaring free, doing what’s right even if it costs you your job… so many courageous moments that work so beautifully in this coming of age story. It’s not just about finding out who you are, it’s also about finding what you stand for. Which started to take centre stage a little for me.

I absolutely adored this short story. And I can’t wait to read more in this collection. I am also intrigued as to the amazing stories I’m sure Gough has the ability to construct… so I’ll probably try and hunt them out too.

<- RatsBitter Draught ->

Image source: Bookdepository

Rats by Marlee Jane Ward

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for kindred 12 queer book cover

Title: Rats
Author: Marlee Jane Ward
In: Kindred (Michael Earp)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, LGBTQI, Romance
Dates read: 7th April 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Walker Books
Year: 2019
5th sentence, 74th page: She pings her card against the reader and the doors open for us with a burst of warm air.

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Synopsis

She’s one of the Rats, those who live by their wits. But, on one of her adventures Up Above, she runs into a beautiful girl. One that she could just enjoy spending time with. Then all hell breaks loose as the Feds capture her friends and family…

Thoughts

This is the first short story in the Kindred collection. It is beautiful, simple and completely sweet. It is also a little different to what I expected with a whole new world created in the few pages of story. The fact that it’s also an LGBTQI+ lead who happens to be homeless… well, this short story deals with many minorities in a fantastic and entertaining manner.

There were so many things that I just loved about this short story. Smany of which I can’t quite figure out the words to describe… and many of which I just thoroughly enjoyed in and of themselves. This is a fast-paced, high action story in which falling for another girl isn’t that big a deal. It is about the first instances of attraction, rather than insta-love and I thought that that was fantastic. That instant attraction and need to know more about a person, without actually being in love with them is something that I really don’t think gets enough attention in many romances.

I can’t wait to read onwards in this collection. If this is the start of a collection of short stories… I can’t wait to see what the rest are like!

<- KindredIn Case of Emergency, Break Glass ->

Image source: Bookdepository

In the Realm of Dragons by Esther M. Friesner

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dark magic book cover

Title: In the Realm of Dragons
Author: Esther M. Friesner
In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Dragons, LGBTQI, Magic
Dates read: 9th March 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 1997
5th sentence, 74th page: Ryan sat at his father’s feet and looked up to see a taut jawline, a gaze fixed and fastened on Uncle Graham and Bill.

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Synopsis

Ryan is trying to honour the memory of his estranged Uncle. Clutching a dragon figurine, he travels into the city to find the men who tore his life apart.

Thoughts

I actually really, really enjoyed this short story. Not only was it about the ostracization which can occur to an individual because of their LGBTQI+ status, the hatred towards minorities and the need for one person to make amends, it is also about dragons. Which I love. So the combination took me straight to my little happy place.

For starters, I loved that there was a blurring of lines between reality and imagination. Even at the end of this story, you’re not entirely sure if the dragons was there in reality, or whether it was all just hopeful imagination and revenge. There was great, powerful imagery with the use of dragons and figurines. The flicking back and forth between memory and present. Reality and dreams. I loved this mystic quality and the way it created an amazingly powerful storyline.

I also loved that this story featured a homosexual man. It was the cause of all of his tragedies, but it was nice to have a story that realistically and deeply investigated how ostracization due to your sexual orientation can destroy a life. Can rip and tear it apart in a way that is unexpected, powerful and potent. And, obviously, very tragically.

<- DisillusionedForever ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

The Double Blind by A.C. Wise

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dieselpunk book cover

Title: The Double Blind
Author: A.C. Wise
In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dieselpunk, LGBTQI
Dates read: 25th January 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: He was asking for it.

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Synopsis

All Rachel wants to do is get revenge on the men who attacked her sister. But, a chance encounter and the warnings of her lover might change the kind of vigilante she chooses to be.

Thoughts

This was a freaking fantastic short story. Especially since it featured the LGBTQI+ world, something that is intriguing me more and more and I’m loving that I’m slowly finding more stories featured in this world.

Although for me, this was mostly about the club and its inhabitants, how they find acceptance and survive in a world against them, there was also the factor of revenge. And how do we seek revenge? Why? And when you’re seeking revenge are you doing it for someone else, or just to assuage your own guilt? There were so many questions bought up in this short story. Ones that left me seriously contemplating the world and my own responses long after I closed the final page. As I said, it was quite intense.

This is just an amazing short story. One that I can’t stop thinking about and thoroughly enjoyed. Definitely a perfect example of the themes and questions posed by a good Dieselpunk tale. Ones that I will continue to contemplate as the time passes, and I look forward to rereading this in the future.

<- Into the SkyBlack Sunday ->

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A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds by Eric J. Guignard

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds
Author: Eric J. Guignard
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, LGBTQI, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 29th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Abuelita last shakes a single bony finger at me.

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Synopsis

All he wanted was to see Santi one last time. But a misspelt sugar skull and an accidental run in with the spirits get in the way. They also teach him a very valuable lesson.

Thoughts

In a collection of Halloween stories, I was so excited to find a Dia de los Muertos story. Like, ridiculously excited. I can still remember the grad paper that I wrote comparing Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. And I’ve been obsessed ever since. So the fact that there was a story entirely featuring this celebration… wow!

I did get a little bit confused when I realised that the lead narrator was a male. For some reason, the voice sounded incredibly feminine and I just made an assumption. When I realised that the person mourning the death of a loved one was male and he was mourning what happened because of his homosexuality. I was much, much happier. It worked out so much better that way.

The gangster wannabe homophobes in this story seriously pissed me off. Like ridiculously. But that’s okay, because there is an Abuelita who you just don’t mess with in this story. One that can still own people… even when she’s beyond the grave.

 <- All Through the Night ReviewThe Turn Review ->

Image source: Amazon

Beowulf for Cretins by Ann McMan

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover beowulf for cretins

Title: Beowulf for Cretins: A Love Story
Author: Ann McMan
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, LGBTQI, Romance
Dates read: 30th November 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Bywater Books
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: I don’t doubt it.

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Synopsis

Is God in the machine – or out to lunch? It’s anybody’s guess.

English professor and aspiring novelist, Grace Warner spends her days teaching four sections of “Beowulf for Cretins” to uninterested students at one of New England’s “hidden ivy” colleges. Not long after she is dumped by her longtime girlfriend, Grace meets the engaging and mysterious Abbie on a cross-country flight. Sparks fly on and off the plane as the two strangers give in to one night of reckless passion with no strings attached, and no contact information exchanged.

Back home at St. Albans, the college rocks Grace’s world when it announces the appointment of a new president – the first woman in its fabled 165-year history. Cue Abbie – and cue Grace’s collision course with a neurotic dog named Grendel, a fractious rival for tenure, and a woman called Ochre in what very well be a final shot at happiness.

Thoughts

This story is sweet, fun and not one that I’m going to forget anytime soon. It’s a fairly easy read, but one that still completely sweeps you away. Makes you forget about reality. I spent a perfect afternoon reading about Grace, Abbie and their neurotic dog while my neurotic dogs were piled on top of me. There was just something completely innocent and sweet about this story… not what I would normally claim for a romance. Mostly they tend to be a lot more lustful.

Sadly, there aren’t many LGBTQI stories on my shelves. Yet, every time I’ve run across one, I’ve found that it is brilliant and unforgettable. Maybe because they’re not so common-place, and it is more difficult to have them published… whatever it may or may not be, it’s not a sub-genre that often finds its way to my shelves. And, in fact, I think this was the first LGBTQI romance that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. It was kind of life changing to be honest. I’m going to now find every single Ann McMan book I can.

An obsession with books is obvious in the amount that I read… but I also love to write, and reading a story about someone who has that same literary obsession was really relatable. Everything about Grace is relatable and makes her impossible to not to love. Then, there’s Grendel. A dog that is damaged, neurotic and completely loveable. Although, I do find every dog I meet ridiculously loveable… whether in person or on print.

Abbie was also a loveable character. However, I found that I related to Grace’s awkward mannerisms and kind of lost feeling way more. The more put together woman is someone that I aspire to be… but I think I’ll forever be more like Grace… kind of bumbling through life in a somewhat confused way. But always stumbling into a happily ever after. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.

 <- Backcast ReviewDust Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

His Last Victim by K.G. Anderson

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of jack the ripper stories book cover

Title: His Last Victim
Author: K.G. Anderson
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Historical fiction, LGBTQI
Dates read: 31st July 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: After all, his brother, a member of my dressing club, was the friend who’d told me about the opening with Scotland Yard five years ago.

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Synopsis

The police really want to catch the Ripper, and one man decides to embrace his secret side to do so. But, at what cost?

Thoughts

I really wasn’t expecting a tale of a cross-dresser in a collection of Jack the Ripper stories. Like, at all. Although, to be fair, I rarely expect to come across such a tale, so when you’re reading about historical fiction and retakes on a notorious serial killer… there isn’t much that could be farther from my mind.

I enjoyed the idea of a man dressing as a woman to try and catch one of the worlds’ most notorious serial killers. The fact that the man who stops it all is also one of this ilk and grouping just made it all the more fun. Actually, I thought that this could have been a much longer story with many more nuances. Or maybe it’s just my need to read stories which feature trans and cross dressing individuals in a positive light…

The happily ever after in this tale was kind of perfect. Not only was the Ripper stopped, but the narrator also found himself in a moment of happily ever after with an understanding wife. And, everyone who had been a part of the capture of the villain was mentioned in the final words, letting you know that they all lived long and prospered.

 <- Dear Boss ReviewThe Face of the Killer Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Duke of Riverside by Ellen Kushner

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
naked-city

Title: The Duke of Riverside
Author: Ellen Kushner
In: Naked City (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, LGBTQI, Medieval fantasy, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 12th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Why would you want to go there with me?

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Synopsis

There’s a young man whose decided to come down to Riverside and find his death. What he doesn’t realise is that no one is going to end the life of an unarmed man. But what he finds instead is much, much better.

Thoughts

The wit and dry humour in this story had me chuckling a fair bit. There was something about a strange, lanky scholar who was desperate to be killed roaming the streets and just having absolutely no luck. It got even better when you found out that he was a duke and abhorrent to the rest of his family. The beauty, humour and irony in the story had me cackling more than I should probably admit if I still wanted people to consider me sane (which I don’t, so it’s fine).

Growing up, I never seemed to read many stories which featured LGBTQI characters. But as my reading tastes have grown, I’ve noticed that it’s a theme that shows up more and more frequently. Or it may just be that it’s a theme that is written about more frequently as our society changes. Regardless, it’s something that I always love in my stories. And the unexpected coupling of two men in this story took me completely by surprise. Partly because in the beginning I thought it would be a tale about Alec just being killed in some random, heinous way. And partly because it’s a medieval fantasy-esque story, and I tend to find that that’s not a relationship that is outwardly hinted at.

The final scene of this short story is one of those that is incredibly difficult to get out of your head. The entire time I’ve been writing this review, I have that great, final image struck into my brain. But, you really must read this story yourself to have that fine enjoyment.

 <- On the Slide ReviewOblivion by Calvin Klein Review ->
Image source: Patricia Briggs