October Reading Recap

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Nonfiction recommendations

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

This book has been in the hot seat for quite a while, many trying to get it banned from both schools and libraries. And you know I love reading a banned book. It is an autobiographical memoir about the author's journey discovering eir gender identity. Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, includes all the messy questions and uncertainties of discovering a nonnormative gender expression. It is a personal account and provides a transparent view into the awkward, uncomfortable confusion of personal growth. This autobiography is described as "intensely cathartic" and documents a journey of self-discovery. As someone who thoroughly enjoys studying gender and sexuality, this novel was a must read. I will always appreciate an LGBTQ+ story, but I picked this up primarily due to my own questions about how I am developing as a person. It is a wonderful read for anyone who wants to learn more about themselves or the people in their lives.

The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation's Fight Over its Future by Carter Sherman

I was in Greece, participating in a creative writing workshop, when Roe V.S. Wade was overturned in June of 2022. As a mature, sexually active adult, I understood this to be a historical turning point. The Second Coming is a "…comprehensive investigation into how miseducation, the internet, and politics are changing the ways in which young people experience sex, love, and relationships". I was curious to see what someone older than me would find and how it held up against what I know is true for myself personally. Sherman expanded upon the idea that things outside the bedroom affect everything within it. Like young people's rights to safe and effective birth control, as well as comprehensive sex education.

Measures have been taken to limit young people's access to sexual healthcare, and we are fighting back. It was comforting to read this book and know, across my generation, we are not sitting idly by as we have our rights stripped away. Now, this book also looked into the far right and national pro-life summits, which was both disturbing and enlightening. This was an informative and fascinating read, especially if you want a glimpse into what it's like to be a young person with the current warzone that is our sexual healthcare.

Fiction recommendations

The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas

I was hooked from the very beginning of this book. There's a number of aspects that spoke to me; one of them being Alba Díaz's insistence that she fight for her independence. She is a young woman from a wealthy family, acutely aware that she will be sold off like cattle to the highest bidder. So, in an attempt to maintain her personhood and her right to choose how she spends her life, she mettles with her betrothal. This leads them all to her fiancé's isolated family mine, where Alba is plagued with sleepwalking, hallucinations, and violent convulsions. I love a good demonic possession story, but especially ones that involve forbidden romance. Alba becomes entangled with Elías, her betrothed's cousin. Together they must resist their pull towards each other, and fight whatever has taken Alba prisoner.

I love Cañas's storytelling style. Her world building and historical research lend to a wonderfully vivid tale. And her use of Spanish throughout lent the novel another layer of linguistic complexity. I always found that literary style intriguing, to use words from another language within a text, but not including the translations. There are so many layers of analysis when it comes to translation, and it's use within a novel; I appreciated the little bit of extra work she presents to the reader by not providing the translation in English. It made for an even more satisfying and rewarding read.

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

This is the sequel to One Dark Window and just like the first one, I loved the second one. It was a satisfying ending and an engaging journey to get there. Not only does the party have to deal with eldritch horrors, but they are also being led through the mist- filled forest by one. It is imaginative and unique, like all of Rachel Gillig's work that I've read so far. I would highly recommend this duology if you're looking for something quick, dark, and satisfying.

About Betty's Boob by Vero Cazot and Julia Rocheleau

This graphic novel is mainly a silent narrative with very few instances of dialogue. The artwork is wonderful, and you can feel the joy through the pages. The colors are vivid; it is a visually stunning novel. The story follows our protagonist, Betty, who has recently lost her left breast, and how her life is affected by it. She loses her job and her boyfriend, only to be led into a far more supportive and loving community of a burlesque troupe. This story is wholesome and made me smile from start to finish. Betty is a lovable character that has a beautiful transformation throughout the narrative.

Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

Shield of Sparrows focuses on a princess who had always been an afterthought, but when she finds herself thrust into a world of monsters, both literal and metaphorical, she has to step into a new role altogether. She is underestimated and written off. But when she marries a neighboring land's prince and is whisked away into their dangerous land, she becomes far more than she expected of herself. The magical world building is interesting; there are supernaturally large and violent versions of animals that they must defend against, and a magical order of monk-like people that are revered throughout the land. I appreciate the character building and their arches throughout the novel. There's real substance and I can tell it's only just beginning. This is only the first of the trilogy and I look forward to when the next one is published.

Thanks for reading! I have some exciting things coming up, so keep an eye out for those updates, I'll be posting about them soon :)