I’m writing to you from my perch by the air conditioning, a place I have rarely left for the last month as summer in NYC turned to sweltering. The only good thing this horribly hot weather has brought is a plethora of indoor reading time, so here is just part one of what I’ve been reading lately (queer edition!).
The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker
This is a beast of a book in the sense that it took me ages to battle my way through it. It follows college friends and animation partners Mel and Sharon as they deal with success, loss, addiction, and trauma. The characters and events feel gritty and impossibly real (I kept wanting to google them to make sure they weren’t), but it also made some parts difficult to stomach. I can’t say that I fully enjoyed the reading experience, but I appreciate the vivid story that Whitaker created nonetheless.
Good for people who like: retro cartoons, messy queer characters, Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour
The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian
This isn’t my first Cat Sebastian romance and it was as short, sweet, and perfectly packaged as the first. It begins immediately after the events of The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (so spoilers for that starting right now), with Marian reeling from shooting her husband and saving Percy’s life. She and Rob flee London and discover a romance beyond their letters while on the road. Sebastian’s novels aren’t the most swoon-worthy I’ve ever read, but the characters are always well-rounded and full of chemistry. Plus, I’m a sucker for a non-traditional historical romance.
Good for people who like: “Bridgerton,” queer historical fiction, easy reads
Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg
A very unusual road trip book about two queer housemates who embark on a journey through rural Pennsylvania to document its people and experiences. Much like NYC in “Sex and the City,” I would say small-town America is the third main character in this novel — and perhaps my favorite one. This is an eye-opening book in a very quiet, understated way; however, the straightforwardness of the writing made it hard for me to emotionally connect with the characters. Also, there was something about the way Eisenberg writes about the human body that felt off-putting to me — or maybe it was just the abundance of the phrase “little ass” — I’m sorry!!!
Good for people who like: All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews, road trip novels, unique narration styles
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
This has been on my TBR for a loooong time, and thankfully it did not disappoint. Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the Red Scare, it follows teenager Lily Hu as she comes into her queer identity after discovering a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Despite being set 70 years in the past, there is something heartbreakingly (and heartwarmingly) familiar about many of Lily’s queer experiences. Plus, Lo clearly did her research on the time period; this wasn’t just a wonderful reading experience — I also feel like I learned a lot.
Good for people who like: coming-of-age stories, queer historical fiction, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly
This is sort of cheating as it’s a re-read of my favorite book from last year, but I had to say that it was just as good the second time around. If you need a feel-good, funny, queer book to read this summer: this is the one.
This is probably just half of the books I’ve read recently, so stay tuned for part two! In the meantime, what have you been reading lately?
xoxo,
Kirby