Tag Archives: lgbtq

Book Review: The Default World by Naomi Kanakia

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The Default World by Naomi Kanakia

Publisher: The Feminist Press

Pub date: 5/28/24 – OUT NOW!

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted ARC!

Goodreads Synopsis:

“A trans woman sets out to exploit a group of wealthy roommates, only to fall under the spell of their glamorous, hedonistic lifestyle in tech-bubble San Francisco.

Years after fleeing San Francisco and getting sober, Jhanvi has made a life for herself working at a grocery co-op and saving for her surgeries. But when her friend (and sometimes more) Henry mentions that he and his techie festival-goer friends spent $100,000 to transform a warehouse basement into a sex dungeon, Jhanvi starts wondering if there’s a way to exploit these gullible idiots. She returns to San Francisco, hatching a plan to marry Henry for his company’s generous healthcare benefits.

Jhanvi enters a world of beautiful, decadent fire eaters and their lavish sex parties. But as her pretensions to cynicism and control start to fade, she develops a Gatsbyesque attraction to these happy young people and their bold claims of unconditional love. But do any of her privileged new friends really like or accept her? Her financial needs expose the limits of a community built on limitless self-expression, and soon she has to choose between doing what’s right, and doing what’s right for her.

This darkly funny novel skewers privileged leftist millennial tech culture, and asks whether “found family” is just another of the 21st-century’s broken promises.”

My thoughts:

What initially piqued my interest in THE DEFAULT WORLD (besides the gorgeous cover) was the transfeminine main character, Jhanvi. Although it sounds counterintuitive, I enjoyed Jhanvi’s POV, because she is terribly unlikeable. She is a major hypocrite, quite self-centered, and generally unkind to most people she encounters in life. Though this characterization choice doesn’t always pan out in literature, Kanakia definitely made it work for Jhanvi.

Sometimes, a flawed main character irks me to the point of not finishing a book, but this wasn’t the case for THE DEFAULT WORLD at all. I found it amusing to recognize Jhanvi’s hypocrisy throughout the story in the same way I do when reading Holden Caufield’s narration in THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. Holden would certainly call Jhanvi a phony and a sycophant, and I would absolutely back him up.

Although I found Jhanvi’s unlike-ability quite amusing, I wish there had been at least one redeeming character in THE DEFAULT WORLD. Not every novel needs a character for readers to root for, but I think this title could have benefited from it.

I’m so glad I came across THE DEFAULT WORLD while perusing Goodreads. I am always, always on the lookout for trans-centered literary fiction and, I must say, the book gods have been blessing me/readers in general lately! Seeing new release lists with queer-normative titles brings my heart so much joy, as this was not the case a few years ago. Thank you to The Feminist Press for my gifted copy of THE DEFAULT WORLD; I enjoyed it very much!

Book Review: HER, HIM, & I: POEMS by Christian Weissmann

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HER, HIM, & I: POEMS by Christian Weissmann

Publisher: Central Avenue Poetry (thank you so much for my gifted eCopy!)

Pub date: 6/11/24—OUT NOW!

Goodreads synopsis:

“Her, Him & I is a love letter to queerness— the joy, grief, ecstasy, and hope that accompanies it. Weissmann offers the readers an unfiltered view into his psyche during several romantic relationships. These poems magnify the reality of exploring emotional and physical intimacy with multiple genders, all while getting to know oneself in the process. 

A bold affirmation of identity and its fluid nature, this book is an unforgettable exploration of what it means to love and be loved in all forms.”

My thoughts:

Wow! HER, HIM, & I features a demographic so often left out of the publishing industry (and thus my own reading): bisexual folks (especially masculine-presenting bisexuals). Not only this but, Weissmann is unapologetic in writing about their bisexuality, which makes reading this collection a breath of fresh air.

Passion and heartbreak flow throughout the language of HER, HIM, & I. While reading it, I was right there along with Weissmann, viscerally feeling all the emotions that come with the end of romantic relationships. I love how the collection doesn’t just skip from a loving relationship starting to break-down to a clean split—Weissmann drags out the feelings of resentment and multiple heartbreaks that go into the *process* of a breakup. There comes a point in the collection where the narrator realizes he should probably break up with his boyfriend, but then switches between having hope that the situation is salvageable and feeling deep resentment for his partner. Weissmann truly has a way with words that moved and affected me deeply.

Overall, HER, HIM, & I is a phenomenal collection of poetry. I was lucky enough to read it during pride month, but the best time to read queer books is all year round. I recommend this to readers looking for something relatively short that really packs a punch emotionally. I think this would make a great choice for someone stuck in a reading slump. Thank you so much to Central Avenue Poetry for my eCopy of HER, HIM, & I!

Book Review: The Nerves by Lee Suksi

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Book Review: The Nerves by Lee Suksi

Pub date: 9/24/20

Publisher: Metatron Press (thank you for my gifted copy!)

Goodreads synopsis:

“The Nerves is set in an imaginary world where our sense memories tell us who we are. The Nerves subverts the literary approach to sexuality by treating the erotic not as a site of anxiety but of reverie. Psychedelic, attentive, cinematic and hot, this book writes toward sensitivity and ecstasy. Exploring touch as healing abandon, The Nerves is charged with desire, devotion, and creative fantasy. Through a series of joyful encounters, Lena Suksi reminds us that pleasure can be abundant, nuanced and that it can heal. Engaging in a queer erotics of language, Suksi’s debut is a bundle of wet atmospheres, speaking to faith in touch.”

My thoughts:

This book may be small, but its impact on me as a reader is mighty. One of my very favorite things about THE NERVES is its center around transnormativity. They/them pronouns are the default for each character regardless of their names or bodies. Getting to immerse myself within a world where gender-neutrality is the norm was an absolute joy and eye-opener. I actually think THE NERVES would be great reading for a women & gender studies course, so the class could discuss how using non-gendered pronouns for every character within a book subverts society, relationships, social expectations, and even capitalism (to take it a step further). This collection certainly challenged me to dig deep, while also being an enjoyable and engaging read.

I also love the erotic components of THE NERVES. It’s sensual in a way that queers sex and intimacy. Each chapter (or very short story) centers around individuals who are intimate with one another, but not quite in a romantic sense. The sex is striking and queer with no sugar-coating. Overall, reading THE NERVES and watching relationships between the characters unfold was an absolute privilege. Thank you so much to Metatron Press for my gifted copy!

Book Review: Just Pervs by Jess Taylor

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JUST PERVS by Jess Taylor

Publisher: Book*hug Press

Pub date: 1/1/2019

Goodreads synopsis:

“Two sex addicts meet and fall in love. A woman catches her husband cheating on her with their dog and escapes to her sister’s horse farm. Four friends—fellow pervs—grow up and drift apart, pining for each other in silence until one of them is murdered.

In Jess Taylor’s sophomore story collection, contemporary views of female sexuality are subverted, and women are given agency over their desires and bodies. Through these characters, sex is revealed to be many things at gross, shameful, exhilarating, hidden or open—and always complicated. Reminiscent of the works of Maggie Nelson, Mary Gaitskill and Chris Kraus, the stories in Just Pervs explore the strange oppression and illumination created by desire, the bewilderment of adolescence, and the barriers to intimacy both discovered within and imposed upon ourselves.”

My thoughts:

If you’re a fan of Weird Girl Books, JUST PERVS is the perfect read for you. Furthermore, if you’re a fan of carrying books with stare-worthy titles shown on the covers in public, JUST PERVS is the perfect read for you, too. Though, writing this review and spending too long on the head-turning cover art and title would be doing this book a major injustice, as the stories inside are equally subversive and thought-provoking. Music reviewers sometimes refer to an album as having “no skips” when every song is a jam; I believe JUST PERVS has “no skips” for a similar reason.

Each, individual story in JUST PERVS immediately grabbed my attention within their first page and kept that attention the entire way through. One of my favorite parts about this collection is the lengths each piece goes to queer sexuality (“queer” being a verb here), a description that I know may sound redundant. Truly, though, JUST PERVS takes subverting themes of sex & intimacy and pushes them all the way outside of the box. In fact, I’d say there’s actually no box when it comes to Jess Taylor’s mind. Yes, the results of this are shocking and sometimes disturbing, but I like sitting in that discomfort for a bit.  

I realize I’m not going into specifics about the pieces in JUST PERVS, but I think spoiling their storylines would take away from their fun. I loved starting a new story within the collection and having no idea (but desperately awaiting to learn) what strange, freaky, queer events would be described in the following pages. I gasped, I laughed, and I definitely had looks of concern on my face while reading JUST PERVS in a coffee shop. I loved jUST PERVS and I greatly look forward to reading more of Jess Taylor’s work in the future!

Book Review: The Z Word by Lindsay King-Miller

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The Z Word by Lindsay King-Miller
Publisher: Quirk Books (thank you for my gifted ARC!)
Pub date: May 7th, 2024
My rating: 4.5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

“Chaotic bisexual Wendy is trying to find her place in the queer community of San Lazaro, Arizona, after a bad breakup—which is particularly difficult because her ex is hooking up with some of her friends. And when the people around them start turning into violent, terrifying mindless husks, well, that makes things harder. Especially since the infection seems to be spreading.

Now, Wendy and her friends and frenemies—drag queen Logan, silver fox Beau, sword lesbian Aurelia and her wife Sam, mysterious pizza delivery stoner Sunshine, and, oh yeah, Wendy’s ex-girlfriend Leah—have to team up to stay alive, save Pride, and track the zombie outbreak to its shocking source. Hopefully without killing each other first.

The Z Word is a propulsive, funny, emotional horror debut about a found family coming together to fight corporate greed, political corruption, gay drama, and zombies.”

My thoughts:

Wow! Zombie books are pretty out of my comfort zone, but once I heard how THE Z WORD blends queerness with the undead, I was immediately sold. I’m so glad I took a chance on this title, because I loved it so much that it has now opened up an entire new sub-genre of books for me. Seeing yourself represented in literature can be a complete game-changer.

THE Z WORD absolutely kept me on the edge of my seat—It truly has traits that span over many types of books, such as literary, horror, and thriller titles. The way Lindsay King-Miller marries these genres? *Chef’s kiss*! There are also a plethora of queer inside-jokes scattered throughout the pages, which makes the book feel like a fun easter-egg hunt. Reading THE Z WORD was an exciting, suspenseful (especially towards the end), and enjoyable experience.

If a story that incorporates zombies, gore, and horror with drag shows, gay culture, and a bisexual main character sounds exciting to you: THE Z WORD should definitely be on your TBR! Thank you so much to Quirk Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Mini Book Reviews- Featuring Poetry Collections from Independent Publishers

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I recently came across a wonderful, eclectic collection of poetry books and chapbooks published by indie presses. So far, I’ve worked my way through three of the titles and knew I HAD to share them with the world. Their themes include, but are not limited to, mental illness, sexual trauma, queerness, and intersectional feminism. The following reviews are listed in the order that I read them.

THE RAVENOUS AUDIENCE by Kate Durbin (Black Goat/Akashic Books, 2009)

This was Durbin’s debut collection and I fully believe it put them on the map of contemporary, talented poets to keep an eye out for. Many of the poems in THE RAVENOUS AUDIENCE incorporate themes of horror that kept me hungry for the next page. Motifs such as “cum, blood, vomit, and other bodily fluids” mix into Durbin’s work (quotation from back of the book). This collection is all things I love: queer, subversive, even perverted at times… absolutely enthralling.

HOARDERS by Kate Durbin (Wave Books, 2021)

I didn’t realize HOARDERS and THE RAVENOUS AUDIENCE had the same author, because their styles and content are so different. Of course, this only further illustrates Durbin’s talent. Her 2021 collection is broken up into different chapters, each depicting the lives and perspectives of different hoarders (or individuals who struggle with hoarding; I am unsure if person-first language is appropriate here). Getting into the minds of each protagonist was enlightening and emotional. I learned quite a lot while reading HOARDERS without realizing I was learning in the moment— this is an absolutely stimulating and thought-provoking collection of work!

MAYBE SHE’S BORN WITH IT, MAYBE IT’S TRAUMA by Cait Thomson (Beyond the Veil Press, 2023)

Of course, the title and cover art immediately drew me into this chapbook, but to let those be the main focus of my mini review would be doing it a major injustice. The current political climate and (albeit slow) destigmatization of mental illness has understandably led to a rise in poetry collections about therapy, medication, and mental health. MAYBE SHE’S BORN WITH IT, MAYBE IT’S TRAUMA stands out when compared to others I’ve read, though. Thomson isn’t afraid to dive into the ‘ugly’ parts of mental illness, like struggling to brush their teeth and passive suicidal ideation. Furthermore, Thomson’s formatting choices challenge me to look deeper into their words, as this collection is anything but surface-level. I greatly look forward to reading more of Thomson’s work!

Review: WOMEN! IN! PERIL! by Jessie Ren Marshall

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WOMEN! IN! PERIL! standing upright on a black bookshelf. A variety of book spines are in the background. A faux plant is next to the featured book.

Women! In! Peril! By Jessie Ren Marshall

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Publication Date: 4/2/24

Rating: 5/5 stars!

Goodreads synopsis:

“In this brash and unputdownable collection, award-winning playwright Jessie Ren Marshall invites us into the lives of twelve women who push against social norms and family expectations to reclaim their power, understand their mistakes, and find a better future. Hilarious, heartbreaking, and defiantly optimistic, the stories in Women! In! Peril! balance wry humor and gravitas to explore the complexities of queerness, toxic relationships, parenting and divorce, Asian and Asian American identity, and more.”

My thoughts:

Before the start of 2024, I thought short story collections weren’t for me, as I was under the (incorrect) assumption that there was no way fully-fledged plots and characters could develop over such few pages. It turns out I had just been reading the wrong collections, many of which were assigned in school and not very contemporary. Jessie Ren Marshall absolutely proved my assumption to be erroneous, as each story in WOMEN! IN! PERIL! is multi-dimensional, compelling, and fully-formed.

It is such a joy to find literature that is equally fun and reflective about serious topics. WOMEN! IN! PERIL! made me laugh out loud multiple times, but it also led to inquisitive conversations with my friends and family (and the short story format allowed for me to easily explain the premises). Each story is multi-faceted and complex while subverting themes of mortality, space, sex, trauma….and the list goes on.

I also must comment on the diversity of characters featured in WOMEN! IN! PERIL! The gaggle of queer characters living within the book are an absolute treat to meet and observe. All of them have their own flaws and biases, just like real people do. Overall, I am extremely impressed with Jessie Ren Marshall’s ability to fit so many wholly developed stories in less than 300 pages. I cannot wait to see what she does next!

Review: Bugsy & Other Stories by Rafael Frumkin

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Bugsy & Other Stories shown face up with a lilac/clear, floral bookmark on a wooden background

Bugsy & Other Stories by Rafael Frumkin

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: 2/13/24

Rating: 5/5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

“A wildly imaginative story collection about sex, desire, queer identity, and the celebration of social taboos, by the author of Confidence.

Bugsy & Other Stories is a deliciously entertaining collection of six genre-defying stories. In the title story, “Bugsy,” a queer young adult battling depression finds community and transcendence through sex work.

In “Futago” a psychiatrist loses his mind after a voice—eerily similar to that of Alex Trebek—appears in his head.

In other stories, you will meet an e-girl and her fans, an elderly woman flashing through the pivotal scenes of her life, and a young boy on the spectrum trying to navigate life in a neurotypical world.

Together, these six stories explore tenderness and what it means to care for each other and for ourselves, especially in a time when technology threatens to tear us apart.”

My thoughts:

BUGSY & OTHER STORIES completely blew my mind in all the best ways. The title story, Bugsy, is an absolute stand-out in this literary gem. After she drops out of college due to mental health struggles, Bugsy’s life takes a turn when she befriends a group of sex workers and begins exploring her sexuality and interest in women. In my college days, I took a class about queering sex work; it still is one of my all-time favorite courses. If it was possible, I would go back in time, take Rafael Frumkin (along with BUGSY & OTHER STORIES) with me, and demand the collection be added as mandatory reading for the class. Seriously, though, this book is exemplary and I’m going to be recommending it to anyone who will listen.

In the final story, The Last Show, an old woman named Flora is in a state of half-consciousness as her health is declining. While she is existing in this limbo at the hospital, people from all corners of her past come to visit. Flora gets long-needed closure with friends and family members and gets to see her now-grown children as adolescents again. Reading The Last Show gave me goosebumps and brought me back to visiting my father in hospice care in 2021. As someone who still feels like she is freshly grieving a parent, I am so thankful this story exists. All this to say: Rafael Frumkin is a genius with words.

Anyone with an interest in queering or subverting topics such as sanity, gaming, streaming, and death will certainly find this mesmerizing collection of interest. There truly is something here for everyone. BUGSY & OTHER STORIES is one of the easiest five stars I’ve ever given.

Review- Dykette by Jenny Fran Davis

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Dykette by Jenny Fran Davis

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co

Format: Library Hardcover

Rating: 4.25/5 stars, rounded up from 4 stars for reasons explained below

Goodreads Blurb:

“An addictive, absurd, and darkly hilarious debut novel about a young woman who embarks on a ten-day getaway with her partner and two other queer couples

Sasha and Jesse are professionally creative, erotically adventurous, and passionately dysfunctional twentysomethings making a life together in Brooklyn. When a pair of older, richer lesbians—prominent news host Jules Todd and her psychotherapist partner, Miranda—invites Sasha and Jesse to their country home for the holidays, they’re quick to accept. Even if the trip includes a third couple—Jesse’s best friend, Lou, and their cool-girl flame, Darcy—whose It-queer clout Sasha ridicules yet desperately wants.

As the late December afternoons blur together in a haze of debaucherous homecooked feasts and sweaty sauna confessions, so too do the guests’ secret and shifting motivations. When Jesse and Darcy collaborate an ill-fated livestream performance, a complex web of infatuation and jealousy emerges, sending Sasha down a spiral of destructive rage that threatens each couple’s future…”

My thoughts:

This is one of the few books that I actively took notes on, as there were so many thoughts I didn’t want to forget. Firstly, from the very beginning of the book, Jenny Fran Davis shows the wide variety of sapphics within the lesbian community. I really appreciate that Davis did this through character descriptions, rather than just flat-out telling the reader. Dykette features he/him butches, high-femmes, nonbinary lesbians, and more. I have never read a fiction title with this many different types of lesbians!

I also loved the unlikability (is that a word?) of the main character, Sasha. This might sound counter-intuitive, but I sometimes find lovable and admirable protagonists to be predictable. My ambivalence towards Sasha slowly turned into annoyance the further I got into Dykette, which was a weirdly enjoyable experience.

Why did I bump the rating up from 4 stars to 4.25 stars? After reading Sasha’s definition of a dykette, I have been using it as a descriptor for myself. I will write up the quotation below this paragraph, though it’s not an entirely positive noun, so I ask you to please not judge me! I feel that, since the title word/noun influences me so much, it is only fair that I increase my rating of the book.

“Maybe a better word for it was dykette, containing both the butch’s gaze and the femme’s stare—because, of course, they’re looking at each other. It’s not a stare from below, the lesbian stare, but a pure wanting, a desire whose direction is always in flux.” (page 102)

Overall, I had a good time with Dykette. Thank you to Jenny Fran Davis for the fun read and new personal epithet!

Review- She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

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Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Romance

Publication Date: 4/20/2021

Rating: 4.25/5

Summary blurb from Goodreads:

“After losing spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up, Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, the incredibly beautiful and incredibly mean Irene Abraham. Things only get worse when their nosey, do-gooder moms get involved and the girls are forced to carpool together until Irene’s car gets out of the shop.

Their bumpy start only gets bumpier the more time they spend together. But when an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her toxic ex (and climb her school’s social ladder at the same time), she bribes Irene into playing along. Hijinks, heartbreak, and gay fake-dating scheme for the ages…a new laugh-out-loud romp through the ups and downs of teen romance.”

My thoughts:

Getting to know Scottie Zajac was a wonderful way to spend the second week of 2024. One thing I really enjoy about She Drives Me Crazy is how different it is from many other young adult LGBTQ titles. It’s about a teenage lesbian who is already completely out of the closet and past the Questioning and Fighting Her Feelings part of the coming out journey. Although there is a time and place for books about teenagers coming to terms with their identities, Scottie’s story as a sapphic who is past that stage is a welcome change. 

I also love Scottie’s character evolution in She Drives Me Crazy. Accompanying her through the healing process of heartbreak and grieving the end of a romantic relationship makes this a feel-good read, as Scottie’s growth is inspiring to witness. Lastly, I really appreciate the general campiness of the book. So much Young Adult LGBTQ fiction is filled with angst and difficult emotions, but She Drives Me Crazy is truly a fun, mood-boosting treat to read. I honestly had a lot of fun with this book!

Thank you to Kelly Quindlen for this lighthearted sapphic young adult romance; the lack of malaise and anxiety is very appreciated and refreshing!