It’s LGBT+ History Month here in the UK, so I thought I’d share five books (although there is many more you could read and I hope you do) that talk about the history of the queer community. Some are non-fiction, some are historical, some are just wonderful queer books.
It’s so important to remember the history of the queer community, it can stark reminder of how bad things were, how far we’ve come. And we must remember every part of the community, gay, sapphic, bisexual, trans, questioning, aro, ace and non-binary. We are all part of the same community and we must celebrate it all. We can’t forget 2020, was the worst year for trans violence, especially for trans people of colour.
These books shed some light on queer lives.
So lets talk about the books shall we?
The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr. This has become one of my favourite books of all time. It’s so beautifully written, it’s literally stunning. It’s so moving. It’s the story of two black enslaved men, who are in love. I’ve never read this before. It’s showing that queer people and queer love existed in this time, because of course they did. You can check out my full review here.
Swimming In The Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski. This is one of those unforgettable novels that is quiet and understated but will have such an impact on you. It’s set in the 1980s Poland, and is the love story between two men in a time when it’s unacceptable. It’s thought provoking and moving. I can’t recommend this one to you enough. You can check out my full review here.
Fighting Proud The Untold Story of the Gay Men Who Served In Two World Wars by Stephen Bourne. This book says it all in the title. It details the lives and stories of gay men fighting in the war. It gives them a voice, full of facts. Such a super interesting read.
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta. I will always recommend this book. It’s brilliant. It’s one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. It’s sent in our time, but it just perfectly captures the journey towards self acceptance and that’s definitely an important thing to read during lgbtq+ history month.
Lie With Me by Philippe Benson. One of my favourite novels that I couldn’t not mention. Set in France in the 1980s in the middle of the AIDs epidemic, this a story of two boys falling in love when acceptance wouldn’t be granted. It’s so beautifully written, so heartfelt. You can check out my full review here.
I have only chosen to feature five books, which I also know focus on m/m stories but this mainly what I read. But here’s some more recommendations of books that share the queer experience in brilliant ways. All The Young Men by Ruth Corker Burks, You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson, Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, Real Life by Brandon Taylor, Camp by L.C.Rosen, Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo and All Boys Aren’t Blue by George Johnson.
This month is a time to reflect on how far the queer community has come, of course not all other the world as being queer is still illegal to be gay in 72 countries, this still shows how far we’ve still got to go.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. And you enjoy some of these. Let me know if there’s any queer books you think I should be reading for this month.
Synopsis: Weeks ago, Andre Cobb received a much-needed liver transplant. He’s ready for his new lord to finally begin, until one night, when he passes out and am wakes up somewhere totally unexpected… in 1969, where he connects with a magnetic boy named Michael. And then, just as suddenly as he arrived, he slips back to present day Boston, where the family of his donor is waiting to explain that his new liver came with a side effect – the ability to time travel. And they’ve tasked their youngest son, Blake, with teaching Andre how to use his unexpected new gift. Andre splits his time bouncing between the past and the future. Between Micheal and Blake. Micheal is everything Andre wishes he could be, and Blake, still reeling from the death of his brother, Andre’s donor, keeps him at arms length despite their obvious attraction to each other. Torn between two boys, one in the past and one in the present, Andre has to figure out where he belongs – and more importantly who he wants to be – before the consequences of jumping in time catch up to him and change his future for good.
As soon as I heard about this LGBTQ+ book I knew I wanted to read it. It was immediately added to my tbr and I was so excited when I got an advanced copy and I started it straight away.
Now, unfortunately I have to be honest and say that this book was a bit of a letdown. I wanted to love it so badly, but I just couldn’t. There was just so much missing. It was at times to shallow, and laughable. I feel so bad saying that.
Ok, to keep this all from being negative lets start with the things I liked. I really liked the main character Andre, I thought he was fantastic. I read somewhere that Kosoko wanted to make a black boy is seen as a love interest and I think that was achieved. He was by far the best thing about this book. I also like how it dealt with grief, it was a main part of the book, and I really liked it. And I never considered dnfing it, I wanted to know how it would end.
Alright, lets talk about what I didn’t like. The love triangle. It was so bad. So, so bad. When Andre meets Michael it’s one of the worst cases of Instalove I’ve ever read. It was so unbelievable, so rushed, I just ended up hating it. It felt like we were just told they were in love, but there was no connection. Then when Andre meets Blake and it feels like the author here at least put in a bit of effort to give them a connection, he’s still thinking about how much he loves Michael and it just is annoying. Then he has this goodbye with Michael that’s supposed to be emotional, but because there ‘love story’ was handled so poorly throughout it was actually laughable. I literally laughed out loud.
The whole book just felt disjointed to me. There was a lot going on, and none of it was explored in that much detail. I really wonder if the author tried to put to much into the book. With the love triangle, the cancer, the family’s grief, the time jumping. It just felt a bit messy to me. The time jumping was interesting, but I wanted so much more. I wanted it to be explored in more depth. But Andres time jumping became all about Michael, which we know I wasn’t a fan of.
I really don’t know if I would recommend this one. It really didn’t work for me. I will read what Kosoko writes next, as I think each book he writes will probably get better. But yeah, this one wasn’t for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for gifting we with a copy of this book in return for an honest, unbiased review. It’s out February 2nd.
Another month has come and gone. Don’t they just fly by! We had a mini heatwave at the beginning of August and I found it hard to read. All I wanted to do was sleep. But I always want to sleep no matter the weather so I shouldn’t use that as an excuse.
I’ve managed to read eight books this month. Eight isn’t bad. And there’s been a few I’ve read this month that I really enjoyed. I don’t usually read thrillers, but I read three in a row! And I enjoyed two of them.
So let’s talk about these books shall we?
The first book I read was Fin & Rye & Fireflies by Harry Cook. What a great way to start the month. A super sweet gay YA novel. I really enjoyed it. I loved the love story. This one is out now and you can check out my full review here.
Then I read 10 minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak. I can’t stop thinking about this book. It was brilliant. Stunning writing, visceral story and fascinating characters. I’ll be looking out for more Elif novels. She’s a genius.
I then read How It All Blew Up by Armin Ahmadi. I was halfway through and I friend told me that the author is problematic, so I didn’t want to read it anymore, which I didn’t mind because it wasn’t very good. I could see what it was trying to do, but it failed.
Then I read This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. I had absolutely no idea what was going on but I loved it. A beautiful, epic love story set in an epic world. I highly recommend this one.
All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace. This was sooooo good. It’s everything I want in a YA fantasy plus it has mermaids! Good mermaids. Definitely don’t miss this one. It’s out now. Check out my full review here.
I then moved onto An Inconvenient Woman by Stéphanie Buelens. This was a great thriller that I couldn’t put down. It was fantastic. It also has a lot of heart which gives it another layer. This one is out September 3rd.
Surrender your Sons by Adam Sass. A queer YA book like I’ve never read before. It’s got a dark subject matter but I really did enjoy this one. I definitely recommend this one to you. It’s out September 15th.
Grace is Gone by Emily Elgar. I get what this book was trying to do and it was nearly there but for me it mostly missed the mark. Parts of it definitely intrigued me, but most of it I didn’t care about. But I definitely wanted to see how it ended. It’s out on paperback September 3rd.
Now I can’t wait to see what books September brings my way. Have you read any of these? Or are you interested in them? Let me know…
Synopsis: It’s been 200 years since Cinderella found her prince, but the fairytale is over. Sophia knows the story though, off by heart. Because every girl has to recite it daily, from when she’s tiny until the night she’s sent to the royal ball for choosing. And every girl knows she only has one chance. For the lives of those not chosen by a man at the ball… are forfeit. But Sofia doesn’t want to be chosen – she’s in love with her best friend, Erin, and hates the idea of being traded like cattle. And when Sophia’s night at the ball goes horribly wrong, she must run for her life. Alone and terrified, she finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s tomb. And there she meets someone who will show her that she has the power to remake her world…
This book was enjoyable, but I have to be honest and say for me, there was just something missing. Something that would’ve taken the book from good to great.I love the premise. It was really interesting, and I thought it was such a good idea. I was really invested in the first few chapters. I was ready to explore the world, the story, the history but unfortunately I just can’t but think that I wanted the story to go deeper. Maybe there needed to be more world building? I wanted to know more about the grand Balls, and in the palace walls. To truly get the sense of the evils Sophia was fighting against. I wonder if it focused too much on Cinderella. I know that sounds silly to say as it’s literally called Cinderella is Dead.
I loved that this book has a F/F relationship. But again, it needed to be more. It felt a bit flat. I just didn’t feel the connection, I knew there was supposed to be one between the characters but it never happened for me. I loved both of these characters separately, but they didn’t click for me as a romantic pair. They definitely worked as pair trying to change history. But it’s always good to see LGBTQ+ representation in books.
I did however love the characters. Sophia is a great character to follow. She was fierce, brave yet had a vulnerability in her bravery that I absolutely loved. I loved Constance too. She was funny and sharp. I cared about them. Towards the end, when they were in a bit of danger, I was genuinely worried what was going to happen to Sophia. Kalynn Bayron has written some fantastic characters. For me, overall this book did need more. It was still good, it certainly wasn’t a bad read. But I just felt at times the author was telling me what to feel, instead of actually letting me feel it. It was a bit lacklustre. And also i felt the story needed a bit better structure.
Again, this book wasn’t bad. I wanted to see how the author would wrap the story up and I wasn’t disappointed. And there was a twist that I didn’t see coming and it shocked me. That’s always a good thing. It was enjoyable, I just feel like it had the potential to be great. But I know so many people loved this book. Listen to them, not me.
I would recommend this book. I even wonder if I read this again, would I like it more. And I’m excited to see what Kaylnn writes next.
Thanks to Bloomsbury UK and Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest, unbiased review. It’s out now in the UK.
Synopsis: Robin had it all figured out: a future on broadway, a top secret boyfriend and two ride-or-die best friends. Then all his worst nightmares came true. Now, his life is a hot mess. With nothing left to lose, Robin falls wig-first into the glittering embrace of Drag, and comes face-to-face with the queen he was always meant to be. Robin’s about to lest that sometimes your new self is your true self.
This was absolutely delightful. That was literally my first thought when I finished the book. I put it down and said in my head ‘that was absolutely delightful’. I would even quite like a sequel if I’m honest.
I loved the characters. They are eccentric but so real. Robin is a fantastic character. He was a wonderful protagonist for us to follow on his journey of self discovery. His friends were great. George made us care about these characters and it gives even more meaning to the book.
I love to read this in a book, a femme character taking centre stage. Robin at one point in the novel says ‘I’m camp’ and he wears it like a badge of honour and I love that. It’s representation like this that will help so many young people reading this book. It’s so important. Representation matters and I’m so proud of George for writing a character like this. I love it.
The relationship in the book are so important. I loved the relationship between and his mum. It was beautiful to read. I loved the romance too, but I won’t say anymore on that because I don’t want to spoil it for you, but it was swoon worthy. And a slow burn and you know I love those. I also love the relationship Robin has with himself, it’s amazing to read how he comes to realise what he deserves and it’s so important for young queer people to read.
Of course the drag is fabulous. I want to go the club, I want to see Robin perform and I want to hang out with him and his wonderful friends. It makes me a little sad that I can’t.
I can’t recommend this book enough, it’s once of those charming, important quick reads (because you won’t be able to put it down, I couldn’t). And like I said, I want a sequel!
Thanks to Amber at panmacillan and MyKindaBook for gifting me with a copy of this book in return for an honest, unbiased review.
And now for the interview. Thank you so much George for agreeing to do this. I really appreciate it.
1) What was your main inspiration for the book? This book is very much the combination of a lot of the things I love rolled into one. First of all, I am a theatre kid. I am a performer under a different name ( George Lennan, if you must know) and did dance classes and theatre growing up. I even did an MA in theatre at Mountview. It’s been a massive part of my life and is now one of the many careers I am pursuing. Second of all, I am a huge drag race nerd and on my MA I did a 45 minute solo drag show and created That Gurrrl (my drag persona) who has had such a huge impact on my life. And finally, I am a huge fan of queer romance and YA contemporary fiction, so if you put all those things in a pot, throw in a Lorelai Gilmore/Rory Gilmore mother/son dynamic and some glitter. You probably have Boy Queen. The other thing have that inspired this book heavily was wanting show drag as something more that what is shown on Drag Race. I feel like I’ve written this sentence some many times over the past few weeks, but there is so much more to drag than you see on Drag Race. I love the show, I do, but what you see on the show is just a fraction of the absolute magic and brilliant creativity and imagination that exists on the community. If you are a fan, I urge you to go out and look for it! It will blow your mind!
2) I love the relationships in this book. Can you talk a little more about them? Absolutely! As I mentioned in the previous question, was the Gilmore Girls-esque mother/son dynamic. I am a huge fan of the show and remember tweeting many moons ago that I wanted a YA novel version of it but ( as far as I’m aware) that just never happened. So I decided to write it into Boy Queen. This wasn’t just fun for the mother/son dynamic though, I really enjoyed having that in other characters too. My favourite kind of books and tv shows are the ones where characters have their own language that they speak in, a collection of references that each other just get that implies a history and I hope that came across with Natalie, Greg, Priya and Robin. The snappy dialogue and quips were honestly one of the most joyful parts of the book to write. And then of course comes the drag artist where I really had to sharpen my reading glasses. Where this probably became the most fun was with Seth because he was brand new to Robin, so he had to spend some time establishing exactly how to speak to him. And getting tongue tied because… you know… cute boys.
3) What do you hope young queer people get out of this book when they read it? Above anything else, I hope they get a really fun and joyful read featuring queer characters. Sure, the book has it’s dramatic moments and it’s sadder moments, but above everything else I wanted the book to be joyful and a celebration of queerness and drag. I hope it puts a smile on some faces. That would be wonderful! The other thing would be that not getting into drama school isn’t the end of the world. I know for a fact (having experienced it first hand) that it really can feel like that. When you live and breathe theatre, everything becomes a few clicks more dramatic, so not getting into drama school can feel like your life/career/everything is over. It’s not. Rejection is hard, it really does suck the big one, but it’s a part of life! ( A very big part of life of you’re going into the creative industry! Wow!) So take a deep breathe, reassess, do not give up. Keep working. I didn’t go the drama school when I was 18/19 years old. I got rejected from almost everywhere. I ended up studying for a BA in drama and Creative Writing, following which I went to work in publishing. When I realised just how much I missed acting, I started doing amateur theatre and, when I felt like I was ready, did an evening course at ArtsEd followed by my MA at Mountview. It was all about timing. This was the right time for me. Sometimes the universe just knows better!
4) Did the story change over time? Oh absolutely! Every single draft there was something new going in and something old coming out. We tried a lot of different things as the story went by and I am certain there has to be a good twenty to thirty thousand words on the cutting room floor. (They were replaced by other things in the book, I didn’t write a 110,000 word book! Jesus!) But that is the magic of editing. I don’t know where I would’ve been without my editors. They aren’t as close to the book as you are so they see things that you can’t and help you hone the story in ways you couldn’t even imagine. Priya wasn’t even in the first draft and now I can’t imagine the book without her. There is a scene where Robin and Seth are at Eternity together, and that wasn’t in the original draft either but it is such a fab scene that I can’t imagine it any other way! The only problem with this is when I come to write my next book and I find myself comparing the draft zero to my fully edited, copy edited and proofread draft of Boy Queen. Don’t do that. That way sadness lies.
5) How does it finally feel to have your first book out in the world? It is honestly the most surreal feeling in the world. This has been such a dream for me and has been for so many years that it is just surreal, that’s the best word for it. The team at PanMacmillan are working so hard on this book, and I feel every day something cool gets tweeted or posted and I have to pinch myself because I cannot believe it’s been happening to me. I feel so lucky. I have had a literary agent for about six years, I’ve written four books with him ( this is book five), and there were I wondered if maybe it would just never happen for me. So the fact that this is happening, just at the right time (pandemic aside!) with what turned out to be just the right book (I honestly couldn’t be happier Boy Queen is my debut!) is just wonderful.
George’s new book Boy Queen is out from August 6th 2020, £7.99 and is available from all good Bookshops. You can find him on Instagram @TheGeorgeLester or in drag @ThatGurrrlQueen.
A huge thanks to George for agreeing to do this little Q+A. It was absolutely fantastic and is filled with some brilliant advice.
I can’t believe January has come and gone already. Where does the time go? Well, I guess time fly’s when you’re reading good books!
I’ve set my goal this year at 90! 90 books to read! Last year the most I read in a month was 10 (bliss) but I don’t think the start of this year has been that good. I’ve managed seven. Not bad, not great. But the ones I’ve read this month I’ve enjoyed.
I shall try and read more next month.
So without further ado. Let’s talk about these book.
First up this month I read ‘Wranglestone’ by Darren Charlton. I really enjoyed this one. It was an incredibly sweet LGBTQ+ love story with a twist. It’s got Zombies in and I have to say it was done really well. Definitely check this one out. It’s out February 4th ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nightingale by Marina Kemp. My first 5 star read of 2020. I loved this book. It’s so rich, full of fantastic characters and wonderful storytelling. I adored it. It’s out February 6th. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘The Guest List’ by Lucy Foley. This is a fantastic thriller. It had me guessing right till the end. With an ending that certainly didn’t disappoint. I loved this book. It’s out February 20th. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
‘Yes No Maybe So’ by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed. This book was so sweet, so cute. I really enjoyed it. It was a quick read with a really important message and I loved that aspect. It’s out February 4th. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Kingdomtide’ by Rye Curtis. It started off a little slow, but once it got going it was hard to put down. It had a fantastic ending, that took me by surprise. I throughly enjoyed this once. It’s out February 6th. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Stars We Steal by Alexa Boone. Did I enjoy it? Yeah, it was okay. Will I remember it? No. It was predictable and a little unoriginal. I had no connection to the characters. It was a quick read though. Out February 6th. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Swimming In The Dark’ by Tomasz Jedrowski. One of my most anticipated reads of the year. It was a beautiful tender love story set against a political background. I loved it. So beautifully written. It’s out February 4th. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
So that’s it. That’s my first months reading. How did you get on? Did you beat my seven books. Whatever you read I hope you enjoyed them.
This was another request from Netgalley I was lucky to receive, and I thought I’d read it before the new year.
Synopsis: 1855, New Hampshire. Lucy is set to hang for double murder. Murderess or victim? Only Lucy knows. In the shadow of the gallows, Lucy reflects on the events that led to her downfall – from the moment she arrived at the rambling Burton mansion looking for work and a better life to the grisly murders themselves. In a mysterious household of locked doors and forbidden affections, Lucy slips comfortably into the shadows, where she believes the indiscretions of her past will remain hidden. But when Lucy’s status becomes a threat to the mistress’s current companion, the delicate balance of power and loyalty begins to shift, setting into motion a brewing storm of betrayal, suspicion, and rage. Now, with her execution looming closer, Lucy’s allies fight to have her sentence overturned as the tales she’s spinning nears its conclusion. But how much of her story can we trust? After all, Lucy’s been known to bend the truth…
I have to be honest and say I did not enjoy this book at all. For me there’s so many things wrong with this book I don’t even know where to start, but I’ll try.
Okay first of all the characters, I didn’t like any of them. Not a single one. None of them had a personality, they seriously could’ve all blended into one and I wouldn’t have known the difference. They had no depth. I’ve finished the book and I still don’t know who some of the characters are and what their purpose was in the novel.
The story has two timelines, both revolved around Lucy, the main character. We first see her arriving to the house looking for work, and we see her in prison waiting to find out if she’ll be hanged for crimes committed at the house. I could see what the author was trying to do, to keep the reading guessing, but I literally didn’t care if Lucy committed the crime or if she died. Like I said, everything that’s been written in this book has been done before and better.
Also, the story itself was bland and predictable. You can definitely tell the author tried to throw in plot twists and keep it interesting but it ultimately failed. I was so bored, I was literally begging it to end. There was what tried (tried because it failed) to be a Lesbian love story but if felt like they’d met twice and were suddenly madly in love. Whilst I’m a appreciative of the LGBT+ representation, it needs to be a lot better than this. I didn’t believe it at all.
This was my first Kim Taylor Blakemore novel and it’ll probably be my last. What could’ve been a gripping historical fiction novel turned out to be a huge disappointment.
Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me with a copy of this book in return for an honest, unbiased review. It’s out January 14th.
As you all know, I’m a huge fan of Adam Silvera and Infinity Son has been on my radar for a while. I feel incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to review it.
Synopsis: Two Brothers thrown into an epic war generations in the making. A fight for good and evil, between those born with power and those who took it. One brother had the power to end it all. The other will stop at nothing in his pursuit of glory. Who will live forever, and who will die trying?
Oh man, this book tried. It tried so hard. I could feel it wanting to be this new epic fantasy series. But for me, it sadly failed. And when I say sadly I truly mean it. I wanted to love it so badly, but I didn’t.
The story is set around Emil and his brother Brighton. Brighton is obsessed with the people who have powers and Emil becomes one of those people. It then introduces us to many (many) new characters and the story unfolds.
Ok, one of the problems I had with this book is when I say many characters, I really mean many. It’s told from the perspective of Four characters, Emil, Brighton, Maribella and, Ness. In all honesty I can’t even remember who Ness is!. I just felt like the characters could’ve been explored more, you never got know them at all and it made them bland and not likeable. It’s also got a lot of supporting characters that just make this book too jumbled
Speaking of jumbled, let’s talk about the magic shall we? There was a lot of magic in this book, I mean a lot! And it wasn’t cohesive. There was wands, Blood Casters, SpellWalkers, Phoenix’s, Celestials, Power Vests. I still honestly don’t know what half of it means. It felt like a group of eight year olds sat around and thought of every type of Magic they could think of and it’s been put in this book.
There needed to be a lot more world building, it feels like your just dropped in the middle with absolutely no explanation as to what’s going on. It didn’t take the time it needed to explain anything to the reader. It just jumped straight into the action, which was also messy and weird. With all the types of magic floating around it was bound to be! I also think at one point there was Phoenix fighting another animal in boxing ring! I honestly don’t even know!
This was Adams first time writing fantasy and you can absolutely tell. It felt amateurish. There was a sentence in the book that says ‘what the what, I’m flying’ and I remember thinking did I really just read. This man has written books so beautifully I’ve been reduced to tears and this one is making my roll me eyes. It was full of cliches and I don’t mind a good cliche, but when nothing else in the book is working they became extremely tedious. None of it felt original.
I did like that the main character of a fantasy novel is LGBTQ+, goodness knows it’s about time and we need more of this. And the ending did surprise me a little, I didn’t see it coming. So there’s two positives for you.
Overall, this book could’ve been good but it had far too many issues and was a bit of a mess. I can’t help but feel it needed to be more precise. It was to big and expansive. It’s supposed to be a trilogy (maybe that’s why the pacing was strange too?) so who knows what will happen in the next book. It does feel like it’s set up for a lot of things for book two. I just don’t know if I’ll read it. We can only hope for better.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK for gifting me with a copy of this book in return for an honest, unbiased review. It’s out January 14th.
I can’t believe 2019 is over! It’s crazy. This year absolutely flew by. But a new year means what NEW BOOKS! NEW BOOKS! NEW BOOKS! Did I say that enough to get the message across?
Now, do I need new books to add to my tbr? Absolutely not. I’ve still got so many to read, some that will probably still be on my tbr at the end of 2020! But that’s what being a book blogger is all about right? An abundance of books.
There’s so many books I’m looking forward to in 2020. Literally so many. My poor tbr! 2019 was my year of queer fiction, and it looks like that will continue next year as there looks to be a lot of good queer fiction out. How exciting. Also, one of my favourite authors has new book our next year which I’m incredibly looking forward to.
So, let’s get started on the books shall we?
‘The Book of Longings’ by Sue Monk Kidd. Sue is one of my favourite authors and I am desperate to get my hands on this book. I just know it’ll be fantastic. I really do need it now. It’s out April 21st 2020.
‘The Gravity of Us’ by Phil Stamper. I need this book now. I’ve been trying to get my hand on a proof copy and I just can’t so I’ll be preordering this. A gay love story and space. Sign me up. Sounds like the perfect YA. It’s out February 4th in the US and in May in the UK. Why have I got to wait an extra 3 months??
‘Swimming In The Dark’ by Tomasz Jedrowski. This book sounds absolutely fantastic. It’s an historical fiction LGBT+ novel and that is my idea of heaven. I need this book of my life. It’s out February 6th.
‘Blood and Honey’ by Shelby Mahurin. I don’t know if this is the official cover but I do know I want this book. It’s the sequel to my favourite YA of the year. I’m literally so excited. It’s out the Fall of 2020.
‘CAMP’ by L.C.Rosen. Yes to this book already. Gay kids at theatre camp. How could I not want this. I love L.C Rosens characters so much. Such honest portrayals of queer characters. I’m looking forward to reading it. It’s out May 26 2020.
‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ by Suzanne Collins. I didn’t know I needed this book, but now that it exists I need it. I love The Hunger Games so I’m beyond excited for this. BEYOND. It’s out May 19th.
‘Majesty’ American Royals Book 2 by Katherine McGee. I loved the first and it ended on such a cliffhanger. How could it do that to me? I need to second one so badly. I can’t wait to see what this story has to offer. It’s out Autumn 2020
‘Surrender your Sons’ by Adam Sass. A book where a bunch of kids at conversion camp turn of their councillors! Sign me up now. Just take my money. This ones cover hasn’t been released yet but I’ll eagerly anticipate that too. It’s out September 15th.
I should say this list is all the books I haven’t read that are out next year. There are some fantastic ones coming that I was lucky enough to get proof copies of. Some that are coming out next year that I’ve already had the privilege of reading are ‘My Dark Vanessa’ by Kate Elizabeth Russell, ‘The Other Bennet Sister’ by Janice Hadlow. These are all fantastic so I don’t miss them.
Are there any books you’re looking forward to? Let me know. I’ve probably missed some.
It’s that time of the month where I try to do one of these WWW Wednesday posts. I missed November but I shall try again. It hasn’t been a great start to the month, with only one book being read so far (what’s happened to me?).
I have feeling this month will be a slow month because I work in a restaurant and this time of year gets extremely busy.
But I’ve started my second book, and I’ll keep going and try and get as many read as possible.
What is WWW Wednesday?
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme where all you have to do is answer three simple questions. Look at me using the word meme! I feel so young!
What are you currently reading?
What have you finished reading recently?
What are you planning to read next?
So let’s get started
What are you currentlyreading?
‘Your House Will Pay’ by Steph Cha was kindly gifted to me by the wonderful Faber & Faber Books. I’m not very far in but I can say I’m enjoying it so far. It’s atmospheric and I’m really intrigued to see where this novel goes. It’s out January 16th 2020.
What have youfinished reading recently?
I’ve recently finished reading ‘Infinity Son’ by Adam Silvera. This is one of the most hyped books of next year and I didn’t like it. Is it too strong to say I hated it? It was a real mess. It’s comes out January 14th 2020.
What are your going to read next?
Next up is ‘The Companion’ by Kim Taylor Blakemore. This is a Netgalley book that I have no recollection for requesting but I must have so I’ll have to read it. It’s Historical Fiction (probably why I requested it) so maybe I’ll enjoy it.
So this has been my reading journey so far this month. What’s yours been like. Let me know.
jthbooks 