Gwen And Art Are NOT In Love – Lex Croucher

Thank you so much to Lex Croucher and the team over at Bloomsbury for my ARC!

SPOILERS AHEAD

What would you do if you had been betrothed to someone since birth, spent your whole lives hating one another, bullying one another and trying your very best to get out of the arrangement, only to realise later that both of you are queer in a world that won’t accept that? Well Gwen and Arthur couldn’t be less attracted to one another if they tried, but an uneasy alliance is formed on the foundation of keeping one another’s secrets. As Arthur battles with his mental health, the expectations of his traitorous father and a blossoming alcohol addiction, all whilst nursing a rather large crush on Gwen’s brother, Gabriel, his reluctant fiancée is coming to terms with herself, accepting that she is attracted to the determined and unashamedly individual Knight of the Realm, Bridget; and learning how to let go and enjoy herself.

The beauty of this enemies to allies to friends path is seeing how they find validation, support and platonic love in the person they least expected. Arthur cannot help but cajole and irritate Gwen into trying new things and accepting herself, and in return she holds him up and supports him through his addiction and the following recovery. It may not have started out as the most gentle and caring relationship, but it is a beautiful example of why we need friends who see the world in an entirely different light to us.

I adored this book from start to finish. It is genuinely funny, tense at points and offers multiple perspectives on the queer experience that I think are really important to discuss. The main three points of view on queerness come from Arthur, Gwen and Gabriel, all of whom engage with it very differently. Arthur is firmly aware of his sexuality and, though he knows the society he lives in won’t accept it, he finds his own moments of joy. Gabriel, however, though he is aware that his sexuality lies outside of the heterosexual boundaries, is a perfect example of internalised homophobia. He believes there is no scope to be himself and will not allow himself to indulge in stolen moments the way Arthur does. He feels the pressure keenly to keep up the perfect image and, because he feels trapped in his pretence, he lashes out at others who do allow themselves to voice these thoughts. To me, Gwen reads as your typical baby gay. Easily influenced by her peers, with the definite possibility of going the same way as her brother, her path is diverted by the elder queer, in this case Arthur, who opens the door to other options and shows her that there is a way to be happy with herself as she is. Of course there is also something to be said for Bridget in this equation, but it is Arthur who takes on the role of guide for Gwen as she explores herself.

Now for something that is purely speculative on my part. It is my absolute belief that Gwen and Gabriel are both autistic. Their mannerisms and behaviours, though different from each other, are both indicative of the autistic need for routine, special interest hyperfocus and acute distress at disruption of the day to day pattern. They also both display the social anxieties and ineptitudes that often go hand in hand with autistic individuals. I love the way they both grow and come into themselves over the course of the book, knitting their identities together in parallel.

What a tremendous first foray into Young Adult for Lex Croucher, who usually writes within the realm of queer adult romance. I can’t wait to see what they produce next.

Now She Is Witch – What Did I Just Read?

I would like to say a huge thank you to Kirsty Logan and Penguin Random House for my copy of Now She Is Witch.

– SOME SPOILERS AHEAD –

My first impression of this book was… bizarre, if I’m being honest I couldn’t tell if I was enjoying it or not for the first portion of the story. It is dark and powerful, with a good dose of feminine rage and religious trauma. It plays with questions of reality, morality and piety, though a little too much graphic language regarding genitals for me. Also, a quick trigger warning for sensitive readers – many of the reasons for the characters’ rage and pain are discussed and the details are not often shied away from.

Though I love the overall feel of this work, I did find it difficult to keep pushing through some bits because the author has chosen to change writing styles for the chapters told in first person by removing almost all the punctuation and replaying the word “and” with ampersands. I understand this as a stylistic choice to denote the speech patterns of the character, Lux, who is telling that portion of the story, but I found it uncomfortable and like an itch I couldn’t ease within my brain. That being said, these sections were wonderfully erratic in their narration and really made me question the character’s grasp on reality, even to the point of questioning the existence of the person she is telling her tales to.

The points I loved the most were the descriptions of poisons Lux grows in her garden, and how much she understands their uses.

Early on we also get a non-gendered character called Ash, who does in fact have several sexual encounters with Lux, but at no point are their physical attributes described, thus protecting them from being miss gendered, however unintentionally, by the reader.

Just to bring this full circle, if you are looking for a dark, ethereal, disquieting read with witchy vibes, feminine rage and poisons, then this may be a good fit for you. It’s a bit tough in some places, and definitely a book for adults, given the content matter and the language.

Sixteen Souls – Cosy Queer Spookiness!

It has been a while and I have some catching up to do when it comes to reviews but let’s start the the WONDERFUL Sixteen Souls by Rosie Talbot.

Charlie Frith is our protagonist and the whole of Sixteen Souls is told from his first person perspective. Charlie has spent his fifteen years of life in York, England, and a fair portion of that he has been able to see ghosts. Some are friendly, like Heather and Ollie, others vicious and hungry to return to life at any costs, and the third category don’t even realise they are dead and are stuck in a ‘death-loop’ of their final moments, which can turn into a dangerous trap for those such as Charlie.

But the ghosts of York have started to go missing and Charlie and the new boy, Sam, embark on a mission to find out why and stop it from happening. Sixteen Souls has so many twists and turns, silly teenage decisions and heartbreak all tumbled together with first love, sweet siblings and some genuinely funny moments that break the tension without losing the integrity of the plot.

This was a really nice, easy read for me. The story is compelling and the text reads very smoothly. Charlie is a double amputee and because we are witnessing life from his first person perspective not only do we get his cynical commentary but we get a lovely insight into the daily routines on wearing prostheses and accessibility in relation to mobility too.

The queer representation is another selling point for Talbot’s writing. I have heard Sixteen Souls described as Heartstopper with ghosts and that is pretty accurate. Charlie is attracted to boys, Sam is a gay trans man and their friend Mitch is attracted to multiple genders. It is also worth mentioning the fourth member of their group, Leonie, who is wonderfully intelligent and definitely the glue of this collection of temperamental teens.

Charlie does actually come out to his parents during the events of this book, and discusses the anxieties of approaching this with adults. It’s handled really nicely, with the same sort of acceptance as the Heartstopper scene when Nick comes out to his mum.

All in all, this is a comforting, mysterious story full of local references to York and funny, heartwarming characters. A joy to read.

A Review of Legends and Lattes

So my plan for October was to jump straight into spooky themed books, perfect for the season. That all went off the rails when Legends and Lattes came into my life.

Thank you to Travis Baldree and the wonderful folks over at Pan Macmillan for my pre-publication copy in exchange for an honest review.

This time of year is stressful for anyone in retail, add on to this the fun and games of trying to move home and all the drama that entails and you have a particularly stressed bookseller in need of something warm and comforting to read.

To cut a long story short, what I needed was Legends and Lattes.

Not only is it low stakes and cosy as a cup of coffee, but it has a cute, sapphic slow burn romance that underpins a storyline full of friendship, acceptance and found family.

I was worried when I started reading that my action craving ADHD brain would find the lack of ‘occurrences’ dull, and I would get part way through and lose interest. Thankfully, Viv, Tandri, Cal and Thimble are so endearing as characters, and there was just the right amount of low level tension, intrigue and a final “What just happened?” moment to keep me fully engaged.

Viv is the strong, physically intimidating orc warrior who leaves her life of brutality behind in favour of building a coffee shop in a city she knows very little about. She is the epitome of that internet saying “looks like they could kill you, is actually a cinnamon roll” – which incidentally leads me nicely onto Thimble, our baker and genius. Part of a species call a Ratkin, Thimble doesn’t talk very much and finds this a very uncomfortable form of communication, favouring gestures and expressions. He is wholesome, anxious and an absolute wiz with baked goods. (Please could he come to my house and make sweets treats for me?)

Next up is Tandri, the often misunderstood succubus and incredibly talented artist who has a special knack for looking after Viv even when she doesn’t want to be looked after. She is strong willed, caring and intensely protective of her new family of misfits.

Last but not least is Cal, the stoic and sturdy Hob who is actually Viv’s first recruit to the Legends and Lattes endeavour. He is gruff and practical but has huge heart – and is the mastermind behind many of the cafe’s ingenious mechanical additions.

There are other characters that I found myself loving to hate, and more that give me so many questions and so few answers, a giant dire-cat that makes me want to give her all the chin scratches and a potentially time travelling gnome?

Another small detail I absolutely love, design-wise, is that at the beginning of each chapter there is a tiny illustration under the chapter number, and each one is dainty, different and beautiful.

I feel like this is a book that I will return to many times as a comfort read. All I want is to live in their world and drink coffee with them.

A Point for Investigation

This week has been an especially good one for interesting questions from bookshop customers. One in particular stood out to as warranting further investogation:

The customer in question came into the shop earlier in the week and while they were there they enquired about books that are not the “large print option” but better suited for those with conditions like chronic fatigue, which can make reading a draining and frankly frustrating experience. Now, the world of chronic fatigue is not one I have ventured into (yet) with regards to reading, but my first thought was to see if there was something similar to the wonderful work of Barrington Stoke but for adults.

As it turns out, after some very kind assistance from the brilliant book community on Twitter, there is a growing market for just this! I was recommended a publisher called Books on the Hill and Quick Reads. The former has around eight titles currently in circulation, but their library is ever growing, with four new titles in the works at this very moment. Their main goal is the production of dyslexia friendly books, all started up by a dyslexic reader!

The latter has a larger selection, with a focus on encouraging literacy in adults. Though this may not suit every reader due to the simplified storylines, it does offer some options that are worth looking into further.

This is a topic I think we should be discussing more. With the rise of Barrington Stoke and the waves they are making for younger readers, adults could be benefitting from the same opportunities. I want to find out more about these options and will continue to research, but if you have any thoughts please don’t hesitate to comment, message me or tag me on social media.

Graphic Novels

With the genre growing in popularity it is fantastic to see people’s understanding of graphic novels extending beyond “superhero comic books”. Though this is a perfectly valid avenue through the graphic world, there is such a variety out there that cannot be ignored.

Often referred to as Indie publishing, this refers to anything not created by the likes of Marvel or DC Comics. It opens up options outside of the hero format to produce works of both fiction and non-fiction.

Within the Fiction genre we get to see artists like Alice Oseman making a splash with their work in Heartstopper. This story of young, queer love has exploded in popularity and has really boosted the reception for graphic novels.

For Non-Fiction, authors like Yuval Noah Harari are adapting their work for the graphic setting and gaining new readers because of the change in format. Others are going straight in with the graphic format, such as Rhea Ewing with FINE and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel.

In my opinion this is a triumph in artistic and creative expression, never mind the progress for inclusiveness and accessibility!Personally, I often struggle with reading non-fiction and the graphic uprising is making it so much more accessible because the text is broken up and becomes visual. This makes it so much easier for my brain to process and reading about these topics all of a sudden becomes possible.

Sistersong by Lucy Holland

*potential for spoilers ahead*

A retelling of the Celtic tale of the Ballad of the Twa Sisters. Join three siblings, children of the King of Dumnonia (the Celtic name for Cornwall) as they face the destruction of their way of life, their familial bonds and the ever encroaching conversion to Christianity. Riva, Keyne and Sinne couldn’t be more different, and yet they all agree on one thing – magic needs to be kept alive, no matter what the Priest, Gildas, says or does to undermine the connection between them and the land.

---

I recently finished reading this fantastic book and could quite easily read it again. Each chapter rotates through the perspectives of the three siblings and their experiences of living in the hold of Dunbriga. The secrets each one holds, and their differing ideas on the same events.

Riva is the seemingly sensible, stick in the mud oldest sister who tries to maintain responsibility and decorum while struggling with her mental health after suffering severe burns a few years previously. The middle child, Keyne, is the independent, socially unacceptable and unruly sibling. This largely stems from the fact that Keyne is experiencing life through the lense of being a trans man without the modern language we have today to discuss this. He does, however, come to find a mentor and friend in Myrdhin and Mori, a genderfluid druid who sees him for who he is and guides him. Lastly, we have Sinne. She is the youngest and the most sociable of the siblings, without the trauma either of the other two have experienced. She plays tricks, runs amock and loves to be the centre of attention, even when it is against better judgement.

This book has beautiful world building and the representation is genuinely meaningful. The ending is heart wrenching and painful but fantastically handled.

Barrington Stoke -An Absolute Staple for Dyslexics, ADHDers and so Many Others.

Looking for dyslexia and focus friendly books for children and teens? Barrington Stoke books are a fantastic place to start. They are designed with dyslexia and eye comfort in mind, with specially created fonts, off-white paper instead of the glaringly bright standard, and a page structure that gives enough space in between paragraphs to reduce overcrowding.

As they put it themselves:

“For over 20 years we’ve been publishing super-readable books to help every child unlock a love of reading. Alongside award-winning and engaging stories from the best writers, our books contain a whole host of specialist features designed to help dyslexic and reluctant readers.”

The Barrington Stoke Website.

There are many different titles available with this publisher and their catalogue is ever-growing!

This focus on finding the right book for the reader is exactly what I want to highlight with this blog and Barrington Stoke make this point on their website too…

– Unpatronizing content matched to the age of the reader not their reading level.
– Expertly edited to ensure comprehension and accessibility.
– Short books and chapters to help build confidence and stamina.

The Barrington Stoke Website

With such a range of genres to choose from, there’s something for everyone. With authors on board such as Juno Dawson, Michael Morpurgo, Terry Deary and so, so many more, the variety is fantastic.

I will say that their books are often relatively short in comparison to standard publishing, and though this very much works for a lot of readers, it does lead to completing books quite rapidly. However, that in itself can be great if you thrive on the hit of dopamine you receive from finishing a task.

---

Have you read anything from Barrington Stoke? Tell me what you thought!

Fine – Rhea Ewing

FINE is a graphic novel that explores the relationship an eclectic group of people have to gender. Ten years in the making, it discusses gender, sexuality and cultural grounding as connected subjects, not separate experiences. This holistic approach adds dimension to the conversation and reminds the reader that white privilege still exists in the LGBTQIA+ community, coexisting with the marginalisation of queer individuals.

---

To preface this review I would like to say that for me this book was three hundred pages of crisis, but in the best way possible.

If you’re just starting to read up on the discussion around gender, the fact that this is a graphic novel makes it a fantastically accessible option. (I intend to go into this further in my post about Graphic Novels! Coming soon!) This access is very much helped by the fact that Ewing’s artwork is so expressive. The expressions are clear, the people within them relatable and beautiful.

To see the work that Ewing put in over a ten year period to collate these stories is incredible. The evidence that it was worth it is on every page – we get to see them grow as they explore themselves and others.

Rhea Ewing discusses their journey throughout the project and the process of initially trying to remain separate to the subject about which they were writing, only to realise that they could not remove themselves from a narrative that directly impacted their life. We as readers get to witness the story as it progresses, and connect with the realisations, growth and learning that Ewing goes through.

The impact of seeing some of my own experiences illustrated and expressed though other people’s stories was quite profound. I must admit there are tear stains all through my copy (especially on page 153).

As a white gender non-conforming person it is so important to have awareness of the experiences of people of colour, both within the LGBTQIA+ community and without. Unless you have grown up with the understanding, you may have missed, as I did, the intrinsic link between gender and cultural identity. I am incredibly privileged in my experience, and am still learning about the world others grow up in, and would encourage you to do the same of you haven’t already. It is not my place to speak on behalf of people of colour, and it is not their responsibility to educate me. FINE gives a fabulous place to begin researching in that the people within its pages tell their own stories and provide insight into their own experiences of gender and race.

As I said before, I highly recommend this book as a starting place for people new to gender exploration. This is also true for the loved ones of that person. My copy has made the rounds of several of my friends and family, and has been especially helpful when discussing gender with my Mum. There’s still processing, discussion and more reading to do, but it has opened the door and initiated that train of thought for her. That in itself is invaluable.

24 Years Old and Still Reading Kids’ Books

Firstly, no matter how old you are, children’s books are wonderful. Those who say otherwise are sad, boring and honestly, a bit of a prick. Absolutely, some are better than others and we as readers are heavily informed by nostalgia and mindset.

I have gone through many a reading slump, especially after university. I came out of the end of three years of having my reading dictated by required lists and specific people we had to read up on and really struggled to return to reading for my own enjoyment.

Enter the comfort read.

For me this meant bringing myself back to the beginning of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. It sits happily in the 9 – 12 section (middle-grade) and pulls you through with its effortless humour, Percy’s witty narration and Riordan’s beautiful skill with adapting the Greek myths for the modern era.

Reading from the children’s section isn’t just about getting back into reading after a slump. It is a wonderful genre that can tackle some very profound topics. That being said, it can face unfounded ridicule. I genuinely believe that the people who have said to me in the past that I “should read a proper book” have incredibly sad reading experiences because they won’t let themselves feel childish joy. I recently received a copy of a recent addition to one of my favourite childhood picture book series and I couldn’t contain my elation, and not just because it reminded me of what it was like when I first discovered them. Why would you purposefully choose not to enjoy something like this?

It’s also worth remembering that children, and especially teenagers, will have very different priorities in life, and reading their books can refresh your empathy for that experience of the world. No matter how grown up you may be when you pick that book, you don’t have to be for the duration of it.

Bonny and Read

A regular book review today, with Bonny and Read by Julie Walker.

If I’m being honest, I’m a little disappointed with this historical fiction retelling of the lives of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, notorious pirates of the eighteenth century. As a topic I feel it was an inspired choice – there’s nothing better than terrifying women who run away to sea to become pirates, in my opinion. However, for all its promise, it fell a somewhat flat.

These women who became infamous even in their own time were vicious, conspiring and bloodthirsty. It is the only way they would have survived, and the mere fact that they were women would not be enough to give them their fiercesome reputation. Instead, Mary spends her time chasing men and seducing them purely by being the first woman they have had contact with in months due to either military environments or seafaring. Anne, who started off with the fervour and tenacity I was so looking forward to, becomes a jealous, pouting child when faced with the reality she has made for herself.

There was also a certain amount of romanticising the pirate way of life. Yes, there is some reference to messiness and nastiness of the trade, but these characters still seemed far too nice to be accurate. The filth and abandonment of morals were alluded to, without reference to the not so heroic part pirates played in the slave trade.

That being said, I enjoyed the descriptions of the climate and atmosphere of the scenes, though many facts about the characters, their backstories and the scenarios they found themselves in did seem to be repeated unnecessarily. I can see the trajectory Walker was going for in reinforcing certain aspects, but it did leave me feeling like I, as the reader, was being spoon-fed information from only a couple of pages previously.

The last thing I expected from this book was to be bored. Maybe it’s the ADHD talking, but I spent the duration wanting MORE. I am not saying that this is a bad book by any stretch of the imagination, the writing is beautiful, but content -wise it does leave something to be desired.

Not Just Paper and Ink

Though books are often assumed to be just the standard hardback or paperback format it is worth remembering that these are not your only options. At the end of the day, the important bit is the experience of the book, not the book itself. For myself and many others audiobooks open the door to a far wider volume of reading that we just wouldn’t get round to otherwise. It is probably my favourite alternative, as I can listen while I engage with other activities such as craft projects, driving or cleaning. I often describe it as distracting the chaotic child inside my head while the grown up portion does the boring or important tasks. That being said, it does pose challenges for people like my partner who has an auditory processing disorder. In these circumstances, a dramatisation is sometimes better as the variation in voices can help distinguish characters, while a singular narrator can be difficult to follow. This might not work for everyone, but it’s worth shopping around and not giving up on the format.

It doesn’t stop there either! If you find a colour filter useful when reading, there are apps available for both tablet/phone and E-reader that will do just that! These reading apps also allow you to change the size of the text and can even have a text to speech option. I haven’t delved to much into these yet, but I would love to hear your opinions on any you have tried.

Most importantly: however you consume literary works, it’s still a valid form of reading!

First Out of the Blocks!

I would like to start with one of my favourite recent reads in one of my favourite genres – Young Adult! For Sci-fi fans, the incredible Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is, in my mind, very well suited to those of us with shorter attention spans.

Xiran, themselves, has ADHD and it comes across in their writing by way of short, to the point description and snappy dialogue. We get all the information we could want without the extra bumph to get lost in – cue the dreaded feeling of “have I read this bit already? What is happening? I need to restart this paragraph!”

There is intrigue and a fast paced plot line that draws you through (no stagnant filler chapters!) and a main character that is absolutely not constrained by moral ideals of any kind. She and many of the characters are inspired by figures from Chinese history – linking back to the Sci-fi meets pre-colonial China atmosphere of the whole thing.

And who can wrong with giant, transforming mecha-suits that are powered by targeted qi energy?

Qi energy types, taken directly from the book.

Referring back to the main character: Wu Zetian is the fierce, vengeful and violent protagonist of this tale. She has not problem turning her pain into power by any means possible. Even to the point of joining the military just to get close enough to the man who murdered her sister to kill him.

If you aren’t already hooked (come on, we all know you are) Wu Zetian also gives us disability representation due to her chronic pain induced by her bound feet. It is a constant fact of her life and remains so through her character arc. (No magical cure trope!) Not only this, but the book gives us LGBTQ+ rep as well! Polyamory and Bisexuality add a new facet of emotion to an already rip-roaring storyline.

My one concession is that experienced Sci-fi fans may spot the odd pre-existing pattern occurring, but it still plays out fantastically whether you know the genre well or not.

Want to get your own copy? It is coming out in paperback in September!

More To Follow…

I intend to update each Saturday, but it may be a little more sporadic than that…

Let’s Talk Books…

Hello!

I am your friendly neighbourhood bookseller and I’m just popping in to introduce myself! My name is Loki and my whole reason for starting this page is to talk about books that work FOR YOU, not the other way around. I am a regular, chaotic ADHD/Autistic book nerd (often referred to as a goblin due to my tendency to accidentally creep up on people with good book recommendations) and as such I adore finding books that work for my brain and others like me. Whether you are dyslexic, a fellow ADHDer or are just looking for some representation within the books you read, I want to start a conversation wherein I can help you and you can help me in turn. So, if you have favourite books that work for you, or you know someone who needs a new recommendation – welcome to my world!