De avonturen van Amina El-Sirafi [The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi] by Shannon Chakraborty
I read this book in Dutch. It was absolutely brilliant. Loved the storytelling, loved the queerness of it all, and I am incredibly intrigued by the main character and her merry band of pirates. What a great fucking book, honestly.
~ fpwoper
Not my father’s son, Alan Cumming
I got this book blindly on a flee market just based on being written by Alan Cumming. So going in blind it surprised me twice, once because even with the title alluding to it, I did not expect a memoir written by him to be so dark with no funny breaks for air.
Secondly I did not expect to "enjoy" reading a man’s reflections about his traumatic childhood quiet as much that I would go through them in under a week.
The constant switching between a present day narrative level in which the protagonist is trying to solve the secrets of his family and reconcile with the influence his abusive father had on him, and one set in his childhood is, unlike sometimes tends so be the problem with persistent time jumps, executed in a clear way that makes sense for the narration.
~ frooogscream.bsky.social
“My Lover, The Rabbi” by Wayne Koestenbaum
A wonderfully lyrical read, but to be honest, the main way it is to be enjoyed is to almost laugh at how cartoonish the pretentiousness of the writing is. I didn’t realize there were so many ways to wax poetic about a penis.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury
“Banned Together” by Various Authors
Amazing read and especially rad as an educational resource. Great intro to book banning, how/why it takes place, and means of challenging said events.
~ Delaney @lavenderluxury
No Friend To This House by Natalie Haynes
As always, I support women's rights and women's wrongs.
~ Tricia/lem0mb0iii
The Midnight Train, Matt Haig
It was.... Fine. Predictable and a little sappy. The concept was interesting but the execution really didn't leave room for any surprises. It was emotional, but in a way that was, again, very predictable. Had the main character's life not been such a textbook "Big businessman forgets what's important" and instead had been more interesting, his choice between his own eternity and encouraging his past self to live better would have had much higher stakes and been more difficult to predict.
~ michellethestan
A Prince Among Pirates by Katie Abdou
This book stems from the author's obsession brought on by watching OFMD, and it feels like a season of the show in the best way. It has a hapless, spoiled aristocrat running away from an arranged marriage and finding love and home amongst the lovable crew of the Deliverance and their charming captain. The story is well-written and full of laughs, tears, and heart-warming moments, along with a twist that I did not see coming. I loved every second of it.
~ Cin - thesushiowl.bsky.social
The Organization is Here to Support You by Charlene Elsby
I loved it, it's a cheerfully nasty Ballardian novella about what happens when organization breaks down due to having rules but not exceptions, leading to surreal consequences and things like people divergently evolving because they started living in an office building.
~ @strangelibrary.com
My Boyfriend is a Bear by Pamela Ribon with Cat Farris
Sweet and funny story with wonderful art. More poignant than I had expected.
~ MentallyDevastated
Somewhere Beyond The Sea - TJ Klune
This was a sequel to The House In The Cerulean Sea and while not as much of a cosy read as the first book it was no less enjoyable. The way magical beings are treated is clearly a representation of the way trans people are treated something the author confirms in the acknowledgments. A great book for anyone that likes magic, fantasy, found family and queer relationships.
~ robotpinemarten
Big Bad Wool by Leonie Swann
3* - Not my favourite book. It's not as lighthearted as the blurb and the setting might suggest. If you do want to read this, please check the content warnings because there's a lot of things that might trigger people. I think the thing I liked best was the addition of the goats.
~ fpwoper
How to Fake it in Society by KJ Charles
A super fun read with lots of great period details. A little too much of the book (i.e. basically the entire thing) was spent on deception/people not just *saying the thing*, and there were a few too many villains to keep track of, but the premise and characters won me over. The MC's personal development felt earned and sweet.
~ @alimasin.bsky.social
