Fighting Dreamer

I Am Moving to Self-Hosted and...

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 12:11:00 +0000

I Need Your Help!

'Pretty please~'

Kind of spur of the moment, (as in, I was thinking about moving, but never got further then "yeah maybe, I will do it.... someday) but I decided to take the plunge and try self-hosted WordPress. Like right now. Yay! Yaaaay~ EXCITE~

But... and that's where you come in... I have no idea ~~what to do~~ which host to go with. There are just so many options. I don't need anything super fancy, but I still want something decent. Right now, I'm thinking Namecheap, Hostgator, Bluehost or maybe... GoDaddy. But it doesn't have to be one of these four, I'm open to suggestions. The three most important criteria are: price (I would rather not pay a fortune), reliability (no sudden down times) and freedom. It needs to allow me lots of freedom. I'm planning to do the whole moving thing by myself (I'm a control freak, plus I like to learn new things. Hopefully, I won't screw it up too much too many times... haha who am I kidding, I'm pretty sure it's going to look like a mess at first) and I'll also be creating a new design... yeah... wish me luck?

So, which host do you recommend/don't recommend?

Also, do you know any good moving tutorials?

YA LGBT Books I am Really, Really...

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 23:13:00 +0000

... Looking Forward to in 2015

(a bunch of standalone and three series)

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson - January 1st 2015 - Contemp.

Breaking Saint Jude by Nikki Godwin - January 14th 2015 - Contemporary

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun Hutchinson - January 20th 2015 - Contemporary, partly graphic novel

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz - March 3rd 2015 - Contemp.

Anything Could Happen by Will Walton - May 26th 2015 - Contemporary

Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen - June 2nd 2015 - LGBT parent

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera - June 16th 2015 - Contemp.

Glittering Shadows (Dark Metropolis #2) by Jaclyn Dolamore - June 16th 2015 - sci-fi

The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek by Seth Rudetsky - June 23rd 2015 - Contemp.

Unavenged (Unavenged #1) by Richard Denney - September 2015 - GLBT Paranormal

Masquerade (Micah Grey #3) by Laura Lam - ? - fantasy

What books are you looking forward to?

You can find more future YA LGBT releases HERE!

(btw, I couldn't find the time for it on Sunday, but the sign-ups post for YA LGBT Challenge 2015 is coming in a few days)

There are a Lot More YA LGBT Out There...

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 22:32:00 +0000

...Than One Would Think - YA LGBT Rainbow #4

(I thought I could make three rainbows at the most, but I am just finished this one and still have enough covers for at least one more...)

White(ish) - None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio ("Middlesex meets Mean Girls", friendship, love, intersex), Good Girls Don't by Claire Hennessy (Ireland, bad girl?, questioning),Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz (friendship, sports, cheating?, rumors), f2m:the boy within by Hazel Edwards (punk/indie band, female to male transitioning), Dear Julia by Amy Bronwen Zemser (French cooking, shy girl, unlikely friendship, LGBT parents), Rebellion (The Colony #1) by J Tomas (sci-fi, dystopia, gay), Deliver Us from Evie by M.E. Kerr (family, MC's sister is lesbian), I Don't Remember You by Stephanie Lennox (accident, amnesia, religious, homophobia, lesbian), The FitzOsbornes in Exile (The Montmaray Journals #2) by Michelle Cooper (pre-war Europe, debutante balls, historical with gay and bi characters)

Pink to Red - The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh ("fancy new school, new friends and enemies, a first crush, and a generous sprinkling of family secrets", cooking contest, glbt, middle grade), Band Fags by Frank Anthony Polito (band, friendship, love, coming of age, glbt), Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia (high school music festival, murder, mystery, love, snow, dark and funny), Comfort Me by Louis Flint Ceci (), Gravel Queen by Tea Benduhn (friendship, summer, South, lesbian), The Chinese Garden by Rosemary Manning (strict girls' boarding school, lesbian), Growing Wishbones by T. J. Askren (sexual orientation, abuse, secrets), The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson (sci-fi, dystopian, fantasy, identity, queer), Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (gothic, vampires, lesbian, Austria, 1871)

Orange - Pretty Things by Sarra Manning (British, theatre drama, girl-loves-boy-loves-boy-loves-girl romp), The Necessary Hunger by Nina Revoyr (basketball, family, lesbian, friendship, racial identity), Erik & Isabelle: Freshman Year at Foresthill High by Kim Wallace by (gay and lesbian MCs, first book in a 4-book series, "Crushes, bullies, secret admirers plus family tension equals classic teen drama with a twist."), 50 Way of Saying Fabulous by Graeme Aitken (New Zealand, food, diet, farm, theatre, glbt, friendship), Soames on the Range by Nancy Belgue (lgbt parent, trouble maker MC?), My Life as a Myth by Huston Piner (bullying, pretending, glbt, "often humorous but ultimately heartbreaking story of a boy's struggle with sexual identity and first love in a violent and hostile world"), Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger (divorce, friendship and hard love, prom, PoC), Orphea Proud by Sharon Dennis Wyeth (poetry, family, prejudice, identity, lesbian)Inferno by Robin Stevenson (Canada, high school, lesbian)

Yellow - The Side Door by Jan Donley (mystery of a teen suicide, lesbian), Breaking Boxes by (glbt, friendship, love, family, trust, betrayal), Love Rules by Marilyn Reynolds (lesbian, coming out, high school, support group, allies), Hey, Dollface by Deborah Hautzig (private school, Manhattan, lesbian, humor, friendship, school ditching, love), The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (historical, mythology, glbt), Goldenhead by Annalinde Matichei (imaginary? friends, fantasy, all-girl world, friendship, love), Keeper of Secrets by Mark A. Roeder ("the story of two boys, one a gay youth, the other an adolescent gay basher", mystery in the past, glbt), Behind You by Jacqueline Woodson (grief, lgbt supporting character), Hidden by Tomas Mournian ("fixing" the gay, runaways, "conflicts, crushes, loneliness, and desire that could shatter their fragile, complicated sanctuary")

Green - Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton (MC doesn't speak.., lesbian, 2015), The Old Arbutus Tree by Leigh Matthews (Canada, sexual identity, violence, tragedy, "a story of discovery, empathy and learning how and who to trust"), Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters (lgbt parents, divorce?), Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (gay uncle, AIDS, historical), The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg (epic road trip, glbt, 2015), Marco Impossible by Hannah Moskowith (middle grade, glbt, prom heist/hijinks), Forward Pass by by Lorna Schultz Nicholson (sports, ), Sock it to Me, Santa by Madison Parker (secret gift exchange, cute, short, glbt), The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson (trans, glbt, secrets, unlikely friendship)

Blue - Being Emily by Rachel Gold (trans, religion, small town), Collide by J.R. Lenk (bisexual, friends, friends with benefits, love), Promposal by Rhonda Helms (prom story with lgbt characters), Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde (New York, road trip, runaway, abuse, gay MC), Bad Boy by Diana Wieler (hockey, glbt, coming to terms), Double Play by Sara Cassidy (lgbt parents, baseball, middle grade), The Evolution of Ethan Poe by Robin Reardon (divorce, rural Maine, high school, courage, gay), Girls I've Run Away With by Rhiannon Argo ("first love between a tomboy skater-girl and her wild-dreamer of a best friend", lesbian), Debris Dreams by David Colby (sci-fi, space opera, lesbian, PoC)

Purple - David Inside Out by David Bantle (coming to terms, sports, glbt), Drummer Girl by Karen Bass (gay?, not gay?, struggling with identity, high school band), The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin (boarding school, adventure, survival camp, secrets), Beautiful Boys by Francesca Lia Block (lgbt, identity, violence, fantasy), Magic and Misery by Peter Marino (gay best friend, humor, friendship), Rosemary and Juliet by Judy MacLean (lesbian R&J story), Seducer Fey by Cullyn Royson (fluid gender identity and sexuality, NA, sci-fi), What Night Brings by Carla Trujillo (Latina, Spanglish, '60s, religion, abuse, middle grade, queer/trans?), Anything Could Happen by Will Walton (love, friendship, in the closet, lies, debut, 2015)

Black to Gray - Revenge Game by Cole Bosher (secrets, graduation trip, glbt), Leap by Z Egloff (summer before college, lesbian?, family secrets, growing up), Country Girl, City Girl by (farm in Maine, lesbian, coming of age, summer), Morning Rising by Samantha Boyette (fantasy, memories, lesbian), The End by Nora Olsen (sci-fi, fantasy, lesbian), Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger (transgender, bullies and allies), The Thousand Natural Shocks by Michael Saenz (bullying, military private school, spring play, glbt), Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers (trans?, identity, gender, music), Punkzilla by Adam Rapp (runaway, drugs, gay brother, family, dark humor, "road trip")

Have you read any of these books? I have read... Bellweather Rhapsody (love, love, love - one of the best book I've read this year), Carmilla (again, a fascinating story), Sock it to Me, Santa (cuuute) and Collide (was really good),and have The Song of Achilles, Marco Impossible, The Art of Being Normal (already pre-ordered it) and Anything Could Happen on my to-be-read-as-soon-as-possible list.

Related posts: (I Wanted to Make Something Special for Pride Month) So I Made a Rainbow...
YA QUILTBAG Rainbow... out of books I haven't (have yet to) read and Rainbow #3

[LGBT Challenge 2014] December Link-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 23:09:00 +0000

It's December, guys, December! I can't quite believe it... The year is almost over... and in four short weeks our epic LGBT Challenge 2014 will end as well *proud but sad face* BUT good news, the sign ups for LGBT Challenge 2015 will be starting this week!! (probably Sunday...) So yes, we are (if you are in too) doing this again next year *grin*!! Are you excited?? (I'm prrrretty excited)

In November, things were quiet on the blog, but I have read The Dogs of Balboa by Rose Christo (GLBT, standalone, contemporary, YA, 5 stars, it's like $3 on Smashwords (80,000 words!!) so get it and read it!! READ IT! Yeah, I really loved it)), Toil & Trouble: A Know Not Why Halloween (Mis)adventure by Hannah Johnson (was okay...) and am currently reading Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman (Alex is sort of an unlikeable hero/ine, at least in my eyes). And I might have downloaded None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio from Edelwiess... so a review(!!) should happen at some point.
I also started working on a new Rainbow!! Keep your eyes open for that in the very near future.

How was your November YA LGBT-wise?

And how was the whole challenge? Since this is the last month, I thought I would create a mini-survey that you can answer here in the comments, or on your blog.

1, Number of YA LGBT books you have read in 2014

2, Top 3 YA LGBT you read this year

3, YA LGBT book you recommended the most to other readers in 2014. (Had they read it?)

4, YA LGBT book you are most likely to re-read (next year)

5, YA LGBT that you keep meaning to read, but still haven't... (because reasons...)

6, YA LGBT that totally surprised you, (in a good or bad way)

7, Favorite debut or new to you YA LGBT author of 2014

8, Best YA LGBT cover(s) of 2014

9, Favorite YA LGBT review/post

10, 2015 release(s) you are most excited about

This year's last public announcements:

1. Please only link up YA (and/or shounen ai, shoujo ai) reviews!! (YA Non Fiction is okay, too)

2. The BIG GIVEAWAY is coming - $30 worth of LGBT YA books of your choice (you are eligible to win if you have read and reviewed at least 3 LGBT YA books in 2014!). Winner will be announced in the first week of January. For the last time this year, good luck and happy reading!

Let's Return to Kdramaland...

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 17:18:00 +0000

... the land of star-crossed lovers (oftentimes with age difference), crossdressers, gender bender, identical twins and over the top melodrama. And, of course, music - sailing your SHIPS through happiness and sorrows, troubles and obstacles, until the happy end arrives (or not...). K-dramaland is a place like no other.

You can check the first part of the great Kdrama adventures HERE

So... why Kdramas are "better" than any other tv series? Ehem....

Are you starting to FEEL something? He he.

~~weird~~ happy dance kdramastyle

No?

Then, they are ALL

Yes, ALL MINE.

At least, all the good ones.

So, let's talk about the GOOD ones.

I have already listed some of my all time favorites in the first post but

there is MORE.

My Girlfriend is a Nine Tailed Fox

I love the mythology of the Nine Tailed Fox (gumiho) and this just made me laugh so, so many times and of course it wouldn't be a kdrama if it didn't hurt as well... but yeah, I loved it, even the silly E.T. thing.

Next, School 2013

honestly, I didn't care for the stories, well I cared for the "main story" (the love/hate relationship of the above two) but not for the "drama of the week" in each episode, such as "bullying, student suicides, school violence, deteriorating teacher-student relations, private tutoring and other real-life high school issues" - from wiki - but don't worry, it's kdrama not real drama, so while it touches on some tough stuff it remains light(ish) and positive

The Heirs

this one took me a few episodes to really get into it and while I did like the main couple (rich boyxpoor girl romance), I actually liked the secondary characters a bit more... the bromance, both between Kim Tan and his half-brother and Kim Tan and his former best friend (btw, their characters were a ~~lot~~ bit like what they played in School 2013), was just really great and you know how much I dig good bromance/brohate, he he

Have you watched any of these? Or have you watched any good kdramas recently?

Out of the new ones, I have checked out Pinocchio (first episode reminded me of that movie Slumdog Millionaire), Birth of a Beauty (definitely has potential...), Tomorrow Cantabile (meh, I would rather re-watch the real thing, Nodame Cantabile) and Pride and Prejudice (this one intrigues me...)

So It's Not Tuesday...

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 23:05:00 +0000

...but whatever:

Top Ten Sequels I Need. Or else my (reading) life will never be complete.

Boys Don't Knit #3 - gave five stars to both #1 and #2. Funny/lovable characters, funny/lovable story, just... hilarious. And oh so British or what I think oh-so-British is. What else do I need to say?

Eighth Grave After Dark (Charley Davidson #8) - I am still on like page one or well minute one in book #7 but already know I will want the next really badly as soon as I have finished it

Not So Innocent (Shattered Glass #2) and Shatterproof (Shattered Glass #2) - when are these coming? When? Are they even coming??

Stiletto (The Checquy Files #2) - The Rook needs to return NOW

Masquerade (Micah Grey #3) - Micah! Drystan! Come to me~

The Fifth Wave #3 and I Am the Traitor (The Unknown Assassin #3) - again, have yet to read The Infinite Sea and I am The Mission, but already know it will not be enough (esp. if there are cliffies, please do not tell me if there are)

Firefight (Reckoners #2) - no words how much I need this book. And I need below cover.

End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #3) by Susan Ee - Finale! Raffe~

What sequels are you ~~lusting~~ waiting for (patiently or not so patiently)?

[LGBT Challenge 2014] November Link-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 22:43:00 +0000

Hey everyone! Sorry for being MIA lately. Even though I am not posting as much as I used to, I still read pretty much every day - so that's good. I miss blogging though so yeah.... (but the good news is that I should be able to take out some time for blogging soonish. Hopefully.)

In October, I posted only one LGBT related post (It seems I have a very finely tuned LGBTdar....) and none of my reads were exactly LGBT YA.... I am however working on a new rainbow (you can also check out the old ones on Instagram now) and just ordered a bunch of new books (some of them are LGBT YA!!)

How was your October YA LGBT-wise?

Public announcements:

1. Sign-ups are open until Nov 30, 2014, feel free to join in any time throughout the year. You can sign up with your blog here, then just make a sign-up post (and link it below!), and you're good to go.

2. Please only link up YA (and/or shounen ai, shoujo ai) reviews!! (YA Non Fiction is okay, too)

3. Last month's winner's - Laura's - surprise book was Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle. And that was the last surprise book, next is the BIG GIVEAWAY of $30 worth of LGBT YA books of your choice (you are eligible to win if you have read and reviewed at least 3 LGBT YA books in 2014!) which's winner will be announced in the first week of January. As always, good luck and happy reading!

It seems I have a very finely tuned LGBTdar....

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Sun, 05 Oct 2014 18:18:00 +0000

... or some sixth sense for finding books with LGBT characters.

I haven't picked up an "LGBT book" in a while and yet gay and trans characters just keep appearing in my reads these days. I pick up a Gothic book I have read good reviews about and bam - a gay relationship comes along. I borrow a mystery (the nth book in a series I really like) from the library and soon I'm reading about gay and trans/crossdressing characters. I buy a book because I fell in love with the cover (and because it sounds absolutely wonderful) where the blurb -same as the above ones- mentions nothing about any LGBT content and what am I seeing? A gay teen who - amongst other more deadly issues- is struggling with coming out...

And it's not just books, but tv series as well!

What is happening here? It's either me and my penchant for everything LGBT drawing these books onto my radar or maybe just maybe featuring LGBT characters are -finally- becoming an.... everyday occurrence in the bookish world. Something you no longer have to warn your readers about. (Which is good because at times knowing about it beforehand would spoil... things. And this is where I have to include my own little warning; if you go to my Goodreads, you will probably find out which books I am talking about so you might want to avoid looking too closely at my current and recent reads for a while, just in case.)

Anyway, this whole thing - me happening on LGBT characters and LGBT characters getting more popular(?), normal and common - just makes me happy.

What about you? Have you noticed this rise of LGBT characters in your reads?

Does something similar ever happened to you? When you picked up a random book (for whatever reason) and it just happened to feature something you really, really love to read about (vampires, time travel, cute little alpacas, etc...)

[LGBT Challenge 2014] October Link-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 21:55:00 +0000

Another month has come and gone and here we are with only three months left of the year! (Wow!)

Well... if August was slow then September was super slow. In August, I have read some LGBT YA, but last month? Nothing. (I was and still am in a mystery/horror/sci-fi/adult-y mood.) I did add quite a few to my tbr though. (Thank you LGBT Rainbow #3) And posts? What posts? But keep an eye around here - interesting things should (start to) happen this weekend...

How was your September YA LGBT-wise?

Public announcements:

2. Please only link up YA (and/or shounen ai, shoujo ai) reviews!! (YA Non Fiction is okay, too)

3. Last month's winner's - Carola's - surprise book was Falling From The Sky by Nikki Godwin. And the winner of September is...

Congrats Laura! I'll be emailing you with details.

5. Thanks to those who participated in the LIST making fun! And now for October's "topic". This month we have not one, but two themes. One, October is LGBT History Month - so I challenge you to read something old (/"classic"). Something pre-21st century. For example: Annie on my Mind (first published 1982), Weetzie Bat (1989 - I'll try to read this one) or When Love Comes to Town (1993). You can also try to hunt down some oldies in my Rainbows (1, 2, 3)
Two, October is also the month of everything scary and horror-y (because Halloween!), so my other challenge for you is to read a YA LGBT from the horror/thriller/mystery subgenre. For example: Sara by Greg Herren, Vintage: A Ghost Story by Steve Berman or Far From You by Tess Sharpe.
You can do one or both challenges. Good luck and happy reading!

LGBT Rainbow #3

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 21:15:00 +0000

Looking for some more LGBT+ reads? Consult the rainbow:

White(ish) - King of the Screwups by K.L. Going (gay uncle, MC with a goal to be "unpopular"), Pain, Epic Love and Poetry, Oh My! by Angelic-Demon ("poetry journals of a gay, male adolescent"), But She Is My Student by Kiki Archer ("lesbian chick lit"/New Adult, student-teacher relationship), Allison by Tatiana Strelkoff (lesbian, "prejudice, family disapproval and bullying"), Everything Changes by Samantha Hale (first love, lesbian, coming to terms), The Case of Nikki Pagan by Rachel Eliason ("hospital friends"), Peter by Kate Walker ("honest novel about sexuality and the need to be true to oneself", GLBT), Hero by Perry Moore (superheroes, misfits, GLBT), Boy2Girl by Terence Blacker (cross-dressing guy, trans?)

Pink to Red - Another Life Altogether by Elaine Beale (lesbian, (mother's) mental illness), 70's England, bullying), Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher (trans), Between You & Me by Marisa Calin (lesbian, contemporary with a "gender enigma"), Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden (a lesbian classic, realistic, coming of age), Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee (road trip to LA, some LGBT "content"), UnEarthed (UnEarthed #1) by Rebecca Bloomer (science fiction, lesbian), Big Guy by Robin Stevenson (GLBT, lying about age & weight), My Brother Has AIDS by Deborah Davis (what the title says...), Alt Ed by Catherine Atkins (bullying, "group therapy")

Orange - Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman (GLBT, "restless summer on the Italian Riviera"), Nightsiders (Twelve Planets) by Sue Isle (Australia, dystopia, "a boy born into the wrong body"), From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson (LGBT parent), Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole (Catholic school dropout kicked out from home for being lesbian...), Boy in Box by Christopher R. Michael (middle grade "about growing up and finding identity" with some... "LGBTQ content"), Dance on My Grave (The Dance Sequence) by Aidan Chambers (friendship, obsession, drama, GLBT), Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned by Judd Winick (graphic novel, HIV, memoir), Girl from Mars by Tamara Bach (first love, lesbian, weekend trip), Another F-Word by Lissa Brown ("bullying, courage and love", "parental struggles to support a gay child, the role that schools and religious institutions play, the tragedy of teen suicide...")

Yellow -Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai (growing up gay in Sri Lanka), Two Spirits, One Heart: A Mother, Her Transgender Son, and Their Journey to Love and Acceptance by Marsha Aizumi & Aiden Aizumi, Gold in the Clouds by Hayden Thorne (retelling, GLBT), The Center of the World by Andreas Steinhöfel (Germany, twins, GLBT, first boyfriend), Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend (Belle #1) by Carrie Jones (realistic, poetic, contemporary), Good Moon Rising by Nancy Garden (lesbian, school play, homophobia), Vuto by A.J. Walkley (LGBT parents -two dads-, Africa), Above by Leah Bobet (intersex, lesbian, urban fantasy, dystopia), Hollowstone by Dennis R. Upkins (boarding school, supernatural, horror, GLBT)

Green - Order of the Poison Oak (Russel Middlebrook #2) by Brent Hartinger (summer camp, GLBT), If I Told You So by Timothy Woodward (summer, ice cream, funny coming-of-age story, GLBT), How They Met and Other Stories by David Levithan (short story collection), The Center of Everything by Linda Urban (supporting character has two dads), Goblinheart by Brett Axel (picture book, childrens book, trans, "fairy tale"), Chance to Dance for You by Gail Sidonie Sobat (dancer & quarterback, GLBT, Canada, suburb bigotry), Happy Endings Are All Alike by Sandra Scoppettone ("1978 lesbian young adult romance"), Hello, Groin by Beth Goobie (lesbian, coming out), Awakened by Kenneth Creech (GLBT, paranormal, "shifters", romance)

Blue - Breathing Underwater by Lu Vickers ("growing up gay in the American South" in the 70s, lesbian), Fat Angie by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo ("darkly comic anti-romantic romance", lesbian), Absolutely Positively Not by David LaRochelle (humorous, contemporary, GLBT), Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal (humorous, coming of age, GLBT, PoC), Rumble by Ellen Hopkins (verse novel, suicide, bullying, dark, religion), Blue Magic (Astrid Lethewood #2) by A.M. Dellamonica (urban fantasy, transgender parent), I Know Very Well How I Got My Name by Elliott DeLine (trans, 90s/early 2000s, bullying), Beauty of the Broken by Tawni Waters (abuse, lesbian, New Mexico), The Seventh Pleiade by Andrew J. Peters (fantasy, Atlantis, GLBT)

Purple - Postcards from No Man's Land (The Dance Sequence) by Aidan Chambers ("historical fiction", two time periods: World War II & present, coming of age romance, GLBT, travel, Amsterdam), Diverse Energies (anthology, science fiction, fantasy, one of the authors is Malinda Lo), All of Us by Mary Rawson (New Zealand, Australia, bisexuality, tragedy, friendship, love, grief), Kamikaze Boys by Jay Bell (coming of age, GLBT, "an odd pair, the loser and the psychopath, and bad things happen to people who mess with them"), I've Known Since I Was Eight by Sophie Glasser ("a down-to-earth teenage girl's first lesbian relationship and the reactions of her family, friends, and community", a more adorable cover HERE), The Boy I Love by Nina de Gramont (secrets, friendships, GLBT romance), Shadow Walkers by Brent Hartinger (astral travelling, GLBT), Gemini Bites by P.E. Ryan ("a pair of twins (one boy, one girl) both fall for the boy who moves in with them…who may or may not be a vampire"), Sister Mischief by Laura Goode ("gay suburban hip-hopper freaks out her Christian high school - and falls in love", humor, lesbian)

Black to Gray - Freeing (Fading #2) by E.K. Blair (romance, new adult, dark), Brooklyn Burning by Steve Brezenoff (music, glbt, trans, New York), Archenemy (Counterattack #6) by Paul Hoblin (soccer, lesbian friends/enemies, PoC), Circle of Change by Laney Cairo (gay, trans, romance...), Boy Girl Boy by Ron Koertge ("about three best friends who each learn how tough it is to be yourself", GLBT), Freaks and Revelations by Davida Wills Hurwin (hate crime, survival and forgiveness, GLBT), Breaking Dawn (Cutting Edge) by Donna Shelton (secrets, betrayal, GLBT), If I Lie by Corrine Jackson ("about the gray space between truth and perception"), Dare Truth or Promise by Paula Boock (lesbian, religion, faith, bigotry, romance, Australia)

Have you read any of these books? There are quite a few I'm interested in: namely Boy2Girl, Absolutely Maybe, Big Guy, Nightsiders, Above, Chance to Dance for You, Absolutely Positively Not, The Boy I Love and Freeing. What about you? Which ones went to your tbr?

Related posts: (I Wanted to Make Something Special for Pride Month) So I Made a Rainbow...
YA QUILTBAG Rainbow... out of books I haven't (have yet to) read (since then I have read Dangerous Girls, The Before Now and After Then and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (it's like Oreos - hard to stop because omgsogood)

[LGBT Challenge 2014] September Link-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 22:56:00 +0000

Guys, fall is here! And I don't know about you, but I am totally ready for the new season. Summer is so not hot anymore - me is over it. Haha.

Let's kick off September with a bit of a recap! August was another slow month here on the blog. Both LGBT YA and otherwise. I read The Before Now and After Then (you can read my thoughts on it HERE - short version: 4 solid stars) as well as featured a guest post by the author, Peter Monn. And I have read and ranted about Dangerous Girls, which is not exactly LGBT (but it hints things....) HERE (warning: it's very spoilery and very ranty.)

I also showcased six rainbow covers. You can drool over them HERE, in case you missed it.

How was your August YA LGBT-wise?

And now, public announcements:

2. Please only link up YA (and/or shounen ai, shoujo ai) reviews!! (YA Non Fiction is okay, too)

3. Last month's winner's - Lola's - surprise book was Know Not Why by Hannah Johnson. And the winner of August is...

Congrats Carola! I'll be emailing you with details.

5. Thanks to everyone who did the TAG last month! Hope you had at least as much fun answering it as I had reading your posts. And if you haven't got around to it yet, no worries. You have until the end of the year to do so. That's right, the tag challenge runs until the end of the LGBT challenge.
6. September is LIST Month - List(post about) your Favorite LGBT YA...!
For example:

Favorite LGBT YA books/standalones/series,
Favorite LGBT YA authors,
Favorite LGBT YA couples,
Best LGBT YA books in X (sub)genre or with X theme/setting/etc.
Top 5 or 10 LGBT YA books I have read this year
etc, etc

Celebrating (the ARC of) The Secret Place by Tana French

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 15:52:00 +0000

You might have seen me oh-so-casually mentioning it on Twitter, I got approved for an eARC of The Secret Place by Tana French!! Yes, yesss. It's nothing short of a miracle, really. I adore Tana French's writing, but this blog is, well, not where I often talk about crime or adult(ish) novels. But today I WILL.

I love the Dublin Murder Squad series. So much. (Even mentioned it in a TTT list HERE - so I do talk about the genre! At least, a bit.)

And why do I love these books? (SO MUCH)

Because:

The CHARACTERS. They are real but... unreal. Likable but... unreliable. It's hard to put it into words - you have to just meet them! They are gray and... full of colors - they just leap off of the pages and into you heart, haunting you long after you've turned the last page.

Friendships/Partnerships/(Familyships). These books have "ships" that feel FOREVER and you will SHIP them, hard.

But they are not. Forever. They burn bright, and then ~~kill~~ ~~die~~ crash hard. They are broken, or rotting inside. And sometimes, the "ships" are just an illusion. Magic in a snow globe that slowly slips out of your hands. But while they still work, when you only see how they look on the outside, they are so beautiful - it will make you wishful for THAT... Or might remind you of something you have/had (nostalgia for the win!)

None of French's characters had it easy. They all have their own scars and fears and pasts, weak and strong(!) sides. And they are going to make you feel all the FEELZ.

The writing. The way these characters and e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g are written is just how I like it. Lyrical, but still tangible.

Beautiful, beautiful imagery. I'm one of those who (sometimes) skips -detailed- descriptions, but French's descriptions are a reading experience to be savoured.

The plot (killer), while usually pretty predictable is still wholly unpredictable, in a psychological way. And the whole guessing the killer early on thing is actually not a bad thing either. It's just this feeling of "oh, I think s/he did it...", and really, maybe it's only because I'm like really tuned in to how this author's characters work. Anyways, while Dublin Murder Squad is a crime/detective series, what's important are the characters and feelings, not the whodunit.

In life, and in these books, some -little- things have no explanations. Which sometimes frustrates me... But it's also what makes me THINK - even when there are no answers...

Reappearing themes. Connection. Love. Friendship. Longing/Belonging. Temporary(?) madness. Loss.

Special places. Knocknaraee, Cassie's flat in In the Woods. Whitethorn House in The Likeness. The Faithful Place. The house in Broken Harbour. The Secret Place.

The symbols of coolness (the cars they drive, the clothes they wear, the building they work, and just the fact that they are on the murder squad) are scattered throughout the novels. French's detectives are all COOL (in different ways.)

Series of standalones. BUT they are connected, and the main character of the "next" book is always someone from the "previous" book.

New Adult/Young Adult feel. In The Woods and The Likeness can be read as New Adult (Crime) and some parts of Faithful Place are Young Adult-ish (the memories...). Also, The Secret Place is sort of kind of Young Adult (boarding school, school girl POVs!)

(Broken Harbour is a different animal...)

(You can find my "review" of The Secret Place HERE)

Six LGBT YA Covers That -already- Look Like the RAINBOW....

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 13:39:00 +0000

....because I LOVE rainbows. Organizing book covers into rainbows is a new thing of mine, but every so often I came across a cover that has already been colored in rainbow shades - and it always makes me smile when that happens.

~May these covers brighten up your ~~Mon~~day, too~

The Turning 16 series has some pretty impressive covers, it's a real shame that the writing is a bit... juvenile (not to mention the.love.triangle). And just look at those birthday balloons - cliche but FUN.

The rainbow wristband looks great on the black and white "background" of Breaking Saint June and the font treatment is gorgeous and well-suited (because, hello, title!!) BSJ is going to be amazing, I can literally feel it in my bones.

The cover of Rainbow Road is definitely a true winner. It reflects perfectly the book and the characters look exactly how I'd imagine them (if I did things like actually imagine characters and not just see them as gray entities) though they could look a bit happier - you are on a summer road trip, guys!! Smile~

Sister Mischief looks the less like a traditional rainbow, but the colors are all there, looking very hip hop. I don't know much about this book, but the blurb is talking about "queer hip-hop revolution" and I'm always down for a good LGBT book with music and mischief.

The sequel of Coda, Chorus is a dark dystopian about forced and forbidden music with LGBT characters so this cover is absolute perfection. Also, it's beautiful - I can't stop staring at it.

The cover (as well as the story) of Over the Rainbow is crazy and just a big mess - but in a good way. And look, a triple rainbow! ;)

Do you know any (LGBT YA) covers with rainbow on them?

Which one is your favorite of these?

Come with me to K-Dramaland...

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:01:00 +0000

... the land of star-crossed lovers (oftentimes with age difference), cross dressers, gender bender, identical twins and over the top ~~melo~~drama. And, of course, music - sailing your SHIPS through happiness and sorrows, troubles and obstacles, until the happy end arrives. K-dramaland is a place like no other.

Come with me, my lovely, fluff&angst craving friend. Come with me, to a magical journey ~ *starts playing on her pipe*

But which ~~hole~~ K-drama should you be lured into? K-dramaland has many caves and ~~sinkholes~~ and caverns, so to allocate your ~~destiny~~ destination, we shall play a game - a round of:

Which K-Drama r U?

1. I have a thing for...

A. childish, lazy players.

B. warm and bold guys.
C. surly and slightly OCD.
D. devoted and cute.

2. Pick a quote...

3. Pick a song...

4. I always wanted to....
A. be a cross dresser working in a coffee shop.
B. be in a fake(-to-real) relationship.
C. live with a boy band.
D. hear people's thoughts.

5. Pick a picture...

And now, the results...

If you got mostly A's - congratulations, you are a Coffee Prince.

If B's are more your type - you are Dal Ja's Spring.

Your style is more C's? Then I have to tell you that - You're Beautiful.

Last but not least, - I Can Hear Your Voice - behind the door of D's so come out and let's watch some K-dramas. ;)

If your results are inconclusive, you should watch all four! OBVIOUSLY. And if you have already seen them, did you guess them?? At which point?

Results in pictures:

....of your life. You are welcome.

Also, if you liked...
... Coffee Prince --- you should check out Biscuit Teacher Star Candy.
... Dal Ja's Spring --- go and watch The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry.
... You're Beautiful --- Mary Stayed Out All Night and Love Rain are what you are looking for.
... I Can Hear Your Voice --- you should have School 2013 in your life as well.

And now, go and get lost in the land of K-drama!

(So, which K-drama r U? Have you seen any of these? Do you watch K-dramas?)

[Author Guest Post] Peter Monn on Why He Wrote The Before Now and After Then

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 04:06:00 +0000

I have a guest post for you today! Please welcome Peter Moon, who has written a guest post about the reasons why he wanted/needed to write his debut - GLBT YA - novel, The Before Now and After Then. I hope you enjoy it! Over to you, Peter~

In a recent interview, I was asked why I chose not to tackle gay related subjects like extreme rejection from parents, sexually transmitted diseases and suicide in my recent book The Before Now and After Then. My answer was simple; that was not my experience and I wanted to write a book about teenager, much like myself, who was a little naïve about the world and still hopeful that things could get better.

I graduated from high school in 1990. Since the first grade, I had been bullied on an almost daily basis by being showed into lockers, tripped in the halls, called names and belittled by people who I didn’t even know, let alone understand why they didn’t like me. At some point, I turned inward and fell in love with music, especially bands like The Cure and The Smiths, who are a strong part of my book. Their lyrics turned me on to life and made the dealings of my tormentors tolerable.

I have always loved to read and I sought refuge in the stories of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, Kerouac and Vonnegut, but never found characters I related to in any way. Rarely did I run across gay characters in books and when I did, they were nothing like me. I wanted to read a book about a gay teenager, who knew he was gay and was OK with being gay. Since that book didn’t exist, I wrote it, hoping that maybe it would touch the life of some lonely teenager out there like me.

After I got sober at 22, I basically jumped from being a teenager to working with teenagers with drug and alcohol problems. The deal is that the issues with kids never really change. Most parents and authority figures don’t want to listen to kids and what is important to them, especially LGBT kids, because many times, their parents are afraid for them. Parents have their own coming out process too. I wanted to write a book about a teenager who dealt with normal teenage issues, like love and rejection, fitting in and not caring if he fit in, finding himself and figuring out who is really is, outside of his being gay.

I just wanted that to be a side thought, because for many teenagers it is.

The world has changed a lot since I was in high school, but the issues of the heart haven’t changed. If we were really honest with ourselves, I don’t believe we really change much on the inside from 15 to 50. Somewhere deep inside, the passion, hope and desire for life and love is still the same. I wanted my main character Danny to be a living example of that hope for all kids, not just LGBT kids, that life goes on and things will be tough sometimes, but they’ll be better too.

Life just goes on, and there’s a beauty in that constant rhythm, reminding us that the mystery of life is in the details. A specific line from a song. A really good cup of coffee. A first kiss. A thunderstorm. A smile. And a really sweet love story.

That’s what I wanted to write. A really, sweet, but honest, love story. I hope I did it right…

Peter can be followed on twitter: @petermonn, and he blogs frequently at http://www.petermonn.com.

Peter's book is now available in 170 countries in digital and hardback. Wherever you buy your books, if you don't see it in the available shelves, ask the awesome manager to order it for you and they can accomplish this with a few swift clicks in their database.

Or, if you're in to instant gratification, here are a few links for you: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes

Peter is currently signed to Pen Name Publishing, a boutique publisher looking for bold stories by bold voices. Follow along at http://www.pennamepublishing.com or chat at @pennamepublish

[LGBT Challenge 2014] August Link-Up (+ Rainbow Tag)

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 00:02:00 +0000

Hey bloggy pals! Another (summer) month has gone by and now it's August - which means: new link-up, check-in post!

In July, I didn't do much - the blog was on a sort-of "vacation"-, but I did put together another YA LGBT Rainbow as well as read an LGBT-ish YA, Dark Metropolis (you can read my thoughts on it HERE - short version: I liked it.)

I also got 3 e-ARCs from Netgalley/Edelweiss, Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonski (this one is a middle grade title coming out in November), The Before Now and After Then by Peter Monn (this one is already out, but I just got approved today - luckily, I could still download it) and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becki Albertalli (GLBT coming out next April - I know!), and am -still- crossing my fingers and hoping to be approved for Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz (coming out next March).

How was your July YA LGBT-wise? Last month was definitely a slow one review(/reading?)-wise, but at the same time July was a great month for sign ups! A big welcome aboard to all new participants. I hope you have fun with the challenge!

And now, public announcements (yes, I'm still in a Night Vale haze):

2. Please only link up YA (and/or shounen ai, shoujo ai) reviews. (YA Non Fiction is okay, too)

3. Last month's winner's - Brin's - surprise book was Imaginary by Jamie Sullivan. And the winner of July is...

Congrats Lola! I'll be emailing you with details.

4. August is TAG month.

~ RAINBOW TAG ~

Red - The color of passion and desire - If you could own (as in OWN a physical copy of it) only one LGBT YA for the rest of your life, what book would you choose and why? What makes you desire that particular book so much that you just have to have it on your shelf? (characters, story, author, cover, etc.)

My answer: Easy! Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alize Saenz. If you know me, you know I love that book. A lot. Because - everything. Ari and Dante! The beautiful writing! The cover! EVERYTHING. I will not part with this book, ever.

Orange - The color of creativity - If you were to create your perfect LGBT YA book in your mind, what would it look like? (Romance? Non-romance? Fantasy? Sci-fi? Some other genre/genre mix? Long? Short story? Lesbian?Gay?Bi?Trans?Intersex? Questioning? Asexual? Who would you want to write it? Would it have a happy or sad ending? Where would you set it? Series or standalone? Etc, etc.)

My dream book would probably have some romance in it, but it wouldn't be a Romance. As for the genre, I like contemporaries the most, but I am also quite fond of the idea of a unique urban fantasy (which means something more original than vampires, werewolves or wizards!).
The story would be set in somewhere Europe (Ireland? Greece?) and it might have a road trip or two. And it would be a standalone, no question here. The main character would have friends (real friends!) and he would not be your typical likable character, he (yes, it's a he) would have some wild tendencies...He would be dealing some demons (not literally, at least I don't think so) but would never give up his... search. Yes, I think he is searching for something. Or maybe he is searching for someone (no, not the love of his life!)
He would be biromantic asexual or maybe bi and trans (since I have yet to meet a character with those orientations and I want something/someone I haven't "seen" before!) And a happy ending is a must. (My book, my rules!)

Yellow - The color of sunshine and sand - Let's talk beach books! You are going to the beach with a friend and your friend is looking for some YA LGBT books to read there, which book(s) would you recommend?

I would probably recommend some light-weight books like... Fan Art by Sarah Tregay or One Man Guy Michael Barakiva.

Green - The color of money - If you could get any 5 YA LGBT books for free, which five would you choose?

I'd choose... Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman (the UK - yellow - paperback), Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills (not sure how much I would actually like the story..., but that cover! *drools*), Marco Impossible by Hannah Moskowitz (again, I have heard some not-so-great things about this one, but Hannah Moskowitz!), A + E 4ever by i. merey (good LGBT graphic novels are hard to find!) and a signed copy of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (hardcover, no award stickers). Please and thank you.

Blue - The color of longing - Which upcoming YA LGBT release(s) are you dying to get your hands on?

I'm pining after... Breaking Saint Jude by Nikki Godwin and Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz.

Indigo - The color of intuition - An LGBT YA book that you haven't had the chance to read (yet), but have a good feeling about.

I'll go with... The Book of David by Anonymous. It just looks like a "Me book", you know? Dark cover (dark story?), GLBT, contemporary, story about secrets - all things I like. And talking about it just made me want to hurry and get to it.

Violet - The color of dreams - You are hosting a High Tea party. You can invite one LGBT YA author, two LGBT characters (from any YA book) and three non-LGBT characters (from any YA book) to any restaurant/place - real of fictional - you like. Who would you invite? Where would your party take place?

I would invite Benjamin Alire Saenz (I know, I know, but I'm a fan and would love to pick his brain about his books), Micah Youngblood from Falling the Sky, Angel from Freakboy, Drew from The Sea of Tranquility, Victor from Vicious and Sabine from Between the Lives. Quite an eclectic bunch, huh? And I would rent Emi's brother's apartment-turned-movie-set for the occasion (Everything Leads to You) Have no idea how these people would interact with each other, to be honest, but I think Micah and Angel would find some things to talk about and I'm pretty sure that Drew would get along with everyone, expect maybe Victor. Victor is quite a wild card, but I like him so *shrugs* It would be an interesting party, that's for sure.

And now, tag - you're it! (you = every LGBT challenge participant) Post your answers on your blog and feel free to tag other bloggers, if you want to ;)

YA QUILTBAG Rainbow...

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 21:07:00 +0000

...out of books I haven't (have yet to) read:

White(ish) - Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas (bisexual/lesbian undertones(?), mystery), Gravity by Leanne Lieberman (Jewish, Toronto, lesbian, religion), The Red Sun Rises by Victoria Kinnaird (GLBT, vampires), A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke (emotional, twisty, secrets & lies), Girl Walking Backwards by Bett Williams (self harm, drugs, mental health, anti-coming-of-age, volleyball, California, queer), Jack by A.M. Homes (gay parent, YA), The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith (religion, death, grief, GLBT), Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron (realistic, GLBT), A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day (GLBT, post-apocalyptic, fantasy, dragons)

Red to pink - Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (secrets, "blackmail", romance, friendship, coming out, 2015), Mariposa Gown by Rigoberto González (sequel to The Mariposa Club, drag, prom, friendship), The Red Sheet by Mia Kerick ("hero-complex"?, GLBT, jockxnerd), About a Girl by Joanne Horniman (secrets, poetic, lesbian), Grydscaen: Utopia by Natsuya Uesugi (GLBT, art college life, NA?, paranormal), Rage: A Love Story by Julie Anne Peters ("dark side of first love", lesbian, abuse), Sugar Rush by Julie Burchill (private school, lesbian, in love with the BFF),Freak Show by James St. James (unexpected love, hilarious, heartwarming, GLBT), Talk by Kathe Koja (self-acceptance, school play),

Orange - Name Me Nobody by Lois-Ann Yamanaka (friendship, family, sexuality, and identity, middle grade, set in Hawaii), Birds on a Wire by Ellen Mulholland (three friends, a secret > test of friendship, GLBT, set in the 90s), Angry Management by Chris Crutcher (misfits; about insecurity, anger, prejudice, love, freedom, power and hope), Mousetraps by Pat Schmatz (friendship/bullying, homophobia, illustrated), The Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge (summer, small town, horses, GLBT), Choir Boy by Charlie Jane Anders (trans, bittersweet, humor, middle grade), Kiss by Jacqueline Wilson (best friends, growing up/"changing", first love/heartbreak), M or F? by Lisa Papademetriou (gay or straight - that's the question), Great by Sara Benincasa (retelling of The Great Gatsby)

Yellow - Asher's Fault by Elizabeth Wheeler (GLBT, photography, family; divorce, death), Exile by Kevin Emerson (LGBT family member), The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George (more lime than yellow but oh well, lesbian, secret relationship, opposites attract), Three Friends by Myron Levoy (bisexual characters(s?), love triangle, oldie but goodie - 1984), Tyler Buckspan by Jere' M. Fishback (set in the 60s, forbidden love, sports, mediums/con artists), Crush by Carrie Mac (summer, New York, love & and acceptance), Empress of the World (Battle Hall Davies #1) by Sara Ryan (summer program for gifted kids, bisexual?), Bi-Normal by M.G. Higgins (bisexual male MC, opposites attract), When We Were Good by Suzanne Sutherland (Toronto, underground music, misfits, lesbian)

Green - George Crossing Lines by Paul Volponi Maze Cheat by B.R. Collins (bisexual(?), trans(?) bullying), Maze Cheat by B.R. Collings (coding, gaming, bisexual(?), PoC), 7 Days at the Hot Corner by Terry Trueman (HIV/AIDS, homophobia, baseball), The Before Now and After Then by Peter Monn (twins, music(?), friends, a life-changing event), My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr (messy love "triangle", bisexual(?)), My Side Of The Story by Will Davis (humorous story about "growing up and coming out", GLBT), What's Not Broken by D.J. Parker (coming out/to terms, "story of life and love and loss." GLBT), Dive by Stacey Donovan ("psychological novel full of clarity and a strange beauty", lesbian), Getting Somewhere by Beth Neff (abuse, delinquents, LGBT adults, juvenile detention program on a farm)

Blue - Stick by Andrew Smith (bullying, abuse, GLBT, brothers, best friends, road trip), In Mike We Trust by P.E. Ryan (secrets, family, GLBT), The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun Hutchinson (survivor guilt, bullying, death(?), partly graphic novel, set in a hospital, GLBT, 2015), If We Shadows by D.E. Atwood (trans, female to male, musical, fantasy), Promise Me Something by Sara Kocek (accident in family, to be friends with the popular kids or to choose the outcast?), The Boy's Own Manual to Being a Proper Jew by Eli Glasman ("Set in the orthodox Jewish community in Melbourne", "painful and funny story about secrets", religion), My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan by Seth Rudetsky (friends, lies/scheming, humorous), The Kid Table by Andrea Seigel (family, gay cousin), Out by Laura Preble (a society where opposite-sex couples are forbidden, religion)

Purple - Lord of the White Hell by Ginn Hale (fantasy, GLBT), The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams, Quentin Blake (illustrator) (middle grade, humorous, cross-dressing, trans themes), Tumble Turn by Doug MacLeod (told via e-mails, middle grade), (Re)cycler (Cycler #2) by Lauren McLaughlin (urban fantasy, MC - girl- turns into a boy once a month and they have different personalities), Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz (bisexual?, poc?, labels, stereotypes, identity), Will by Maria Boyd (school musical, friends?, humorous), Drama by Raina Telgemeier (graphic novel, middle grade, theater), Is He Or Isn't He? by John Hall (New York, prep school, light contemporary, probably similar to M or F?), Happy Families by Tanita S. Davis (twins, transgender parent)

Black to Gray - The Suicide Year by Lena Prodan (depression, suicide attempts, military kid), Out by Joanna Kenrick (short story), Homo by Michael Harris (GLBT, coming out/coming to terms), Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey (Maori myths, urban fantasy, asexual), Cevin's Deadly Sin by Sally Bosco ("non-gay" cross-dressing, lesbian supporting character, bullying, identity, religion), Big Big Sky by Kristyn Dunnion (sci-fi, lesbian), The Boys From Manchester by J.T. Holden (friendship, sacrifice, supernatural, superheroes, young love), Returning to Shore by Corinne Demas (summer, island on Cape Cod, angst, family), Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin (summer of 1926, a "young woman's discovery of the science of risk and the art of rebellion, and the power of unexpected love")

Have you read any of these books?
Are there any that you would recommend?

Any that sound up your alley?

Related post: (I Wanted to Make Something Special for Pride Month) So I Made a Rainbow...

[LGBT Challenge 2014] July Link-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 03:30:00 +0000

Hey peoples! July is here! Wow, it's hard to believe that we are now halfway through the year and the LGBT Challenge!! It looks like things have slowed down a bit, there are only a handful of reviews in last month's link collection, but I'm hopeful that the enthusiasm for LGBT books will spark up again and not fade out. Ever. Or at least not until the end of the year ;) *whispers* The more posts I see at the end of the month, the happier I will be, and the happier I am, the bigger that month's giveaway will be.

June was a pretty good month for me. I reviewed two LGBT books, Otherbound and Fan Art, which might not seem that much, but seeing how I closed May with zero LGBT reviews, I say, I deserve a round of back patting or cookies. Or both.

I also mentioned some LGBT books in one of my Mental Health Awareness Month posts (the one with that long list of recommendations) and even made a rainbow of YA QUILTBAG books ('cause Pride Month!). And yesterday's post - Chat with Anna Frost: Portrayals of LGBTQIA Characters in Japanese Media (Anime/Manga) - is jam-packed with LGBT deliciousness. Go me~

How was your June YA LGBT-wise?

This and that:
1. Sign-ups are open until Nov 30, 2014, feel free to join in any time throughout the year. Just sign up here, make a sign-up post (and link it below!) and you're good to go.
2. Please only link up YA (and shounen ai, shoujo ai) reviews. (YA Non Fiction is okay, too)
3. July is REWIND Month. You can discuss any topic that you missed or just want to do again (February: Things I want to see (or see more of) in YA LGBT fiction March: LGBT YA Covers June: Community & Support)
4. Last month's winner's - Angie's - surprise book was Silent by Sara Alva. And the winner of June is...

Congrats, Brin! I'll be emailing you with details.

Happy reading! I hope y'all continue to enjoy the challenge!

[Blog Tour & Giveaway] Chat with Anna Frost: Portrayals of LGBTQIA Characters in Japanese Media (Anime/Manga)

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 04:06:00 +0000

To celebrate the release of The Fox's God (the last book in the Kitsune Trilogy) author Anna Frost is holding a blog tour (with a giveaway!), and this being the last stop, we prepped something special for y'all. Today I am thrilled to have Anna join me for a chat on the topic of portrayals of LGBTQIA characters in Anime and Manga ~~a topic we both like to ramble on and on.~~ Grab a beverage, this is going to be a long one~

Chat with Anna Frost: Portrayals of LGBTQIA Characters in Japanese Media (Anime/Manga)

Anna: Shall we proceed by category? G and L are up first! There's a lot of Japanese media in the yaoi (M/M) and yuri (F/F) genres but I find that those works are often plagued with questionable tropes and stereotypes. They too often try to force same-sex relationship into the hetero mold: one character must me the "man" and the other must be the "woman."

I'm more interested in media that do no focus on same-sex pairings but happen to feature them in passing. This sort of casual inclusion is somewhat common and makes me happy. Some of my favourite examples would be Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune in Sailor Moon (F/F) and Nezumi and Shion in No. 6 (M/M). I'm also fond of Card Captor Sakura because it hints that Sakura's best friend Tomoyo has a crush on her and also shows a bit of romance between Sakura's brother and his best friend. D'aww.

Cayce: I haven't noticed this practice in yuri, though I admittedly not well-versed in that genre, but it's definitely true that gay relationships are oftentimes portrayed in a very unrealistic way in yaoi. For example, like you said above; one of the guys is almost always more feminine (on the short/slim side with longer hair and bigger/cuter eyes), while the other's appearance is more "masculine".

Furthermore, yaoi is full with gay-for-you (straight guys falling for each other) stories, which is a nice fantasy, but it's just that, fantasy. And you could say there's nothing wrong with some harmless fantasy, but that's not exactly the case. 'Cause the sad thing is that those who read only yaoi, might think this is how gay relationships work or should work. But, quoting it from more than one LGBT books, there is no "woman" in a gay relationship. (By the way, if one is looking for some more realistic yaoi, I'd recommend checking out Kano Miyamoto's work. )

I know what you mean! I'd love to see more characters - both main and secondary - that just happen to be LGBT, too. And some great examples there! Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune were my favorite "couple" in Sailor Moon and, while I wasn't sure whether they were girls or boys, I also loved the three Sailor Starlights. Okay, I'm still not sure about them, but it doesn't really matter, does it? Also, the scenes between Sakura's older brother and his best friend was one of my favorite parts of CCS. And Nezumi and Shion's relationship was just pure aww~

Let's see if I can come up with some of my own examples as well... Well, for starters, one of my all-time favorite titles Loveless features both gay and lesbian "couples". (The manga is still on-going but the anime works great as a standalone, in my opinion.) I also have a soft spot for Antique Bakery, that serves some heavy gay undertones topped with lots of yummy cakes.

- don't they look great (both the couples and the cake!)?

Anna: It's not as bad with yuri, but it's still common for one of the girls to wear pants and assume the "manlier" role. Even Sailor Uranus got a bit of that going since she usually dress boyish when not in sailor mode. As you say, there's no woman in a gay relationship, and neither is there any man in a lesbian one. That's sort of the point of same-sex relationships!

Do you have anything for B? The problem with bisexuality is that it's easily overlooked. Fictional characters tend to have a single love interest and they're categorized as gay or straight based on that single relationship. Most openly bisexual characters I can think of come from yaoi media like Gravitation. One exception: the characters in From the New World appear to be culturally bisexual. There's both same-sex and opposite-sex interest between the five central characters.

Cayce: This is getting increasingly harder. It depends on how you look at it, but I think it's possible that some of the characters in Revolutionary Girl Utena are bisexual. Also, if I remember correctly, Fruits Basket has characters that enjoy flirting with both sexes. But try as I might, other than Touma and Shuuichi (maybe Yuki, too?) from Gravitation, which is one of my all time favorite anime shows - just casually dropping that in here -, I can't seem to recall any anime or manga series with truly bisexual characters. I'm very sad to realise this, but the lack of openly bisexual characters is something that anime/manga apparently has in common with YA.

- Utena and Touga, Utena & Anthy from Utena; Haru from Fruits Basket

Anna: We're really going to have to work on bisexuality representation. By "we" I guess I mean "me." I'll get right on it. :p

That brings us to the T! My main beef with the portrayal of transexuals in anime/manga is that the writers don't seem to understand there's a difference between a gay man and a physically male-bodied person who is a woman inside (a trans woman). Being gay is about sexual attraction while being trans is about someone's personal gender identity and how they express it. If gets a bit complicated when you consider male crossdressers (drag queens) because they aren't necessarily gay or trans at all. Most media writers, Japanese or American or otherwise, seem to believe it's all the same.

I'm going to point the finger of shaaaaame at Tiger and Bunny. Most watchers, me included, figured Nathan must be a gay man, because his character shows every. single. stereotype. ever. Nathan is a tall, broad black man who covers himself in pink and glitter. He likes to sexually harass his male coworkers and he calls himself one of the girls. Oh, and his superpower is fire (yes, really).

Then the show creators said that Nathan considers themselves genderqueer. Damnit, show writers! You don't write a genderqueer character by making them a giant flaming gay stereotype! It's not even clear what pronoun should be applied to Nathan. Is "he" okay? Is "she" better? Are both acceptable? Is "them" more appropriate? Only Nathan knows.

You should all go watch the show anyway. Nathan is awesome.

Cayce: Yes, and sometimes (oftentimes?) it seems like they only create those "trans" characters for comic relief. Same with crossdressing. I've seen a lot of male characters wearing female clothes -or vice versa - for solely "fan service" purposes and only a handful of stories where there were actual reasons behind the crossdressing. (And even if we eventually get an answer, most of the time the reason for crossdressing has nothing to do with gender or identity.)

Sure, there are some really good examples out there as well, but they can be quite hard to find. But if someone is looking for more realistic portrayals of trans people, my recommendation would be to start with Wandering Son, which features both transgender women and men characters. And whilst we're on the letter T, I also have to mention another favorite of mine Paradise Kiss, where one of the supporting characters, Isabella, is a male to female transgender. That woman rocks!

Anna: For the genderqueer side, I propose Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club. While her crossdressing as a guy is largely used as a setup for humor, her attitude towards it makes me believe she really is comfortable in either role. When the club boys first realize the guy-in-shapeless-clothes isn't exactly that, they react with shock and she answers that she doesn't mind if they think of her as a boy. She keeps the same attitude throughout the series. On top of that, Haruhi's father works as a drag queen. He says that he's bisexual but gender-wise it isn't entirely clear where he stands on the spectrum.

Here's an example of a straight guy who crossdresses purely for fun: Kuranosuke in Princess Jellyfish. He likes to put on wigs and elaborate feminine outfits because he wants to be a fashion designer. He eventually admits to himself that he's developing feelings for the awkward, fashion disaster girl who is the main character.

Going beyond the LGBT letters, what have we got? I'd like to mention the fox spirit in Our Home's Fox Diety as a potential genderless person. Kugen shifts from human boy to human girl at will and while we most often see them as a girl, they also tend to use male pronouns. It's not clear whether these fox spirits have genders in their true form.

Cayce: Oh, we have a lot more, under that rainbow! And it's a sad fact that there are many pockets of the QUILTBAG that are still hidden and underrepresented in both YA and manga/anime. Though some characters appear to be a bit gender blind when it comes to romantic feelings, I have yet to meet one that actually describes him or herself as pansexual. And what about those who are questioning, undecided and/or asexual? Where are those characters "hiding"? Nothing seems to be taboo anymore -which is both a good and bad thing-, so I think it's time for these characters to get their stories told as well.

And to end this on a brighter note, let's close with the letter I! I can't say that I have seen countless stories with intersex characters (quite the opposite!), but I do have two manga I'd like to highlight: IS: Otoko demo Onna demo nai Sei (Inter Sexuality: The Gender that is neither Male nor Female) and After School Nightmare. Both are wonderful stories, but while IS is very realistic and touching, After School Nightmare is more otherworldly and psychological. They are apparently quite lesser-known (IS especially), but I hope this will change and similar stories will emerge in the near future.

Anna: I hadn't heard of either IS or After School Nightmare. Shaaaaaame. But now I know to look!

On that note, for those of you who might like to check out some of the anime we mentioned, look on Crunchyroll.com for No. 6, From the New World, and Our Home's Fox Diety, and look on Hulu.com for Sailor Moon, Fruit Basket, Tiger and Bunny, Ouran High School Host Club, and Princess Jellyfish. Netflix likely has a lot of these as well. I'm not aware of any similar services for manga, sadly. Check your local library's collection.

How about you? What's your take on the topic? Have you read/seen any of the titles we mentioned? Or what other anime/manga have you seen/read that featured LGBT+ characters? How were they portrayed? Good? "Bad"? Realistic? Not so realistic?

The Fox’s Mask by Anna Frost
Blurb
Demon hunter Akakiba keeps many secrets from his human companion. The fact he’s a werefox isn’t the worst one.

In feudal Japan, magic is dying. As a demon hunter, Akakiba finds this problematic. The evil he’s been trained to destroy is disappearing and, along with it, the shape-shifting abilities of the clan he left behind. With his only companion, a determined young human named Yuki, Akakiba traverses the country slaying demons and performing odd jobs.

But when an army of demon possessed humans masses to exterminate his clan, Akakiba must put aside old feuds and protect his family–all while hiding an important secret from Yuki. Will they find a way to defeat the demon possessed before it’s too late? With magic dwindling, will it matter either way?
Amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Goodreads

Are you still here? Then to thank you for reading our rambling, here is a giveaway for you! Good luck~
a Rafflecopter giveaway

(I Wanted to Make Something Special for Pride Month) So I Made a Rainbow...

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:07:00 +0000

...out of YA QUILTBAG books:

~click for full size~

White(ish) - Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz (dark&cruel fairy tale), Scratches on the Surface by Aaron Smibert (self published, self harm!), Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen by Arin Andrews (non fiction), Annabel by Kathleen Winter (intersex, has an adult/literary fiction feel), Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour (wunderful YA Lesbian), An Unstill Life by Kate Larkindale (YA Lesbian, MC has synesthesia), Because of Her by K.E. Payne (YA Lesbian set in London), The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson (Nina's girl friends fall in love... with each other), Love Drugged by James Klise (MC tries a drug that "cures" gayness...)

Red-pink - Seidman by James Erich (YA LGBT fantasy set in Viking Age Iceland), Proxy by Alex London (dystopian retelling of The Whipping Boy with a gay MC), Shadowplay by Laura Lam (sequel of Pantomime), Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle (middle grade Nate runs away to try out for E.T.: The Musical - hilarious&sweet), For Today I Am a Boy by Kim Fu (a gender identity tale), Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan (Persian-American MC who likes girls), Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin (non fiction), Falling From The Sky by Nikki Godwin (I love the new cover!), Dirty London by Kelley York (rumours and LGBT crushes)

Orange (there are a lot of orange LGBT+ covers, I wonder if there is a particular reason...) - Pantomime by Laura Lam (okay, so this is more brown, but I think it looks better here; fantasy with intersex MC), Andy Squared by Jennifer Lavoie (contemporary; twins, horses and a cute romance), Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin (intersex, powerful&quite shocking), Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman (third intersex novel with an orange cover...interesting), Here's to You, Zeb Pike by Johanna Parkhurst (contemporary GLBT, family issues), Vivaldi in the Dark by Matthew J. Metzger (angst and fluff; depression!), The Other Me by Suzanne van Rooyen (gender identity issues), Turning 16 by Perie Wolford (its newer covers are more orange but I like this best; contemporary GLBT inspired by Sixteen Candles and other John Hughes movies), Ask the Passengers by A.S. King (Lesbian YA)

Yellow(ish, because omg it's so hard to find yellow LGBT+ books) - The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson (futuristic Brazil, art, POC), The Center of the World by Andreas Steinhöfel (coming of age, set in Germany) Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (POC; white girlxblack girl, historical), Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (utopian contemporary), Imaginary by Jamie Sullivan (MC falls in love with an "imaginary" boy), One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva (cute&funny, Armenian-American MC, adventures in New York with a cute boy), Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky (I love it but it's not the final cover, gender identity issues), I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (it says Sun so I say yellow, twins!), Know Not Why by Hannah Johnson (hilarious "enemies" to lovers story set in an arts 'n crafts store)

Green - What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson (coming of age GLBT, sports; running), When Love Comes to Town by Tom Lennon (Ireland, 90s, coming to terms GLBT), Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (lyrical & beautiful), Adaptation by Malinda Lo (sci-fi, girl falls in love with a boy... and a girl), The Culling by Steven dos Santos (dytopian with gay MC, survival game), Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (very surreal, very green), Meeting Chance by Jennifer Lavoie (scars and dogs), Outtakes of A Walking Mistake by Anthony Paull (laugh-out-loud funny contemporary GLBT, ~~mommy~~ family issues), Way to Go by Tom Ryan (summer job, friends, no romance)

Blue - Coda by Emma Trevayne (dystopian, bisexual MC, music!), Hushed by Kelley York (YA GLBT Dexter), Made of Stars by Kelley York (a haunting tale of friends & secrets), Teenage Rewrite by Brandon Williams (realistic and cute romance, bisexual MC), Fan Art by Sarah Tregay (friends to lovers, art/poems), The Summer I Wasn't Me by Jessica Verdi (Lesbian YA set in a "degayfying" camp), The Waiting Tree by Lindsay Moynihan (religion, conservative small town), Inheritance by Malinda Lo (sequel to Adaptation), a+e 4ever by Ilike Merey (genderqueer, graphic novel)

Purple - Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis (fantasy; another world, disabled characters), Moon at Nine by Deborah Ellis (YA Lesbian set in Tehran), Obscura Burning by Suzanne van Rooyen (GLBT, dark sci-fi), Tag Along by Tom Ryan (prom night shenanigans), Secret (Elemental #4) by Brigid Kemmerer (supernatural, Nick's story), Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark (gender identity issues in verse form), Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green, David Levithan (humorous contemporary), Huntress by Malinda Lo (YA Lesbian fantasy, prequel to Ash), No One Needs to Know by Amanda Grace (twins, cheating?)

Black to Gray (I know, black is not in the Rainbow, but my rainbow - my colors ~.~) - Suicide Watch by Kelley York (GLBT, depression, suicide, cancer, + a ray of hope & love), Ash by Malinda Lo (YA Lesbian fantasy, Cinderella retelling), Violence Begets... by P.T. Denys (devastating GLBT), The Book of David by Anonymous (fictional diary, contemporary GLBT), Far From You by Tess Sharpe (LGBT mystery/thriller, MC is a recovering addict), Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz (GLBT, POC, "messed up" but beautiful characters trying to make sense of a messed up world), If You Could be Mine by Sara Farizan (YA Lesbian set in Iran), Gives Light series by Rose Cristo (captivating contemporary GLBT set in an Indian reservation, mute MC), Every Day by David Levithan (every day a different body, pansexual MC)

And voila, a rainbow of -72- books! (And I've read 45 of them!!) - how many have you read?
Do any of these catch your eye?

[Homecoming] Carola from brilliant years

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 19:37:00 +0000

Happy Sunday, my peoples! I have some great news for you all: Homecoming is baa~ck!! And it has turned into a blogger/book spotlight kinda thingy, where you can share your old(ish), non-English books. I had great fun revisiting my old ~~haunts~~ books and now I can't wait to see yours.

Today, I am thrilled to welcome Carola from brilliant years as my first guest, who came over to showcase some of her favorite Dutch books. Without further ado - let's get to what we really want to see: the books!-, Carola, the blog is yours!

Annie M.G. Schmidt is a household name in the Netherlands. She was famous for her poems, songs, plays and musicals, but especially her children's books. They are wonderfully illustrated by Fiep Westendorp and just look at it! So cute. My parents read these to me as bedtime stories when I was little.

Another few books I am very sentimental about. These were pretty much the epitome of childhood books for me. They were my bedtime stories when I was a little older and I read them countless times by myself. For some reason, I especially loved the Giant Peach.

A funny story: my parents held onto these books while I was studying. At some point I asked for them, and the next weekend I got home my mom happily showed me the books... Newly bought ones, haha (I noticed right away). She thought we lost the books when moving, but thankfully a little later we found my original childhood books in a box :)

Classic fairy tales: Little Thumb and Grimm's fairy tales (not the gruesome versions, clearly).

Finally, a children's/YA book that most Dutch kids have read: Crusade in Jeans by Thea Beckman. I borrowed this from the library once in a while, and when I found a nice copy last year I had to get it :) It's a wonderful story and since it has been translated to English, I can recommend it to everyone :)

I have never heard about Annie M.G. Schmidt, but aren't that little dog is the cutest thing ever? We had a dog just like it when I was little, so I am sure I would have loved Jip en Janneke! (The black cat is adorable too!) I think I have seen a Matilda movie, but don't remember ever reading the original story... But haha, you have an awesome mom! :D
I love the covers of your fairy tales, the Sleeping Beauty(?) one especially. The kids on Crusade in Jeans remind me a bit of anime characters, and the story itself sounds pretty epic as well. Thanks so much for sharing these books and memories with us, Carola!

Do you have some non-English books you would like to reminisce about? Would you like to be featured in my Homecoming series? If you are interested, just head over HERE and fill in the form! Cheers~

[Book Review] Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 00:35:00 +0000

Title: Fan Art

Author: Sarah Tregay

Published: June 17th 2014 by Katherine Tegen Books
Source: eARC (Edelweiss)

Links: Goodreads

BLURB:

When the picture tells the story…

Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.

As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?

This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most.

REVIEW:

Fan Art just came out this week, but I've actually read it (the eARC) months (MONTHS!) ago. You see, it was totally accidental. I was really, really looking forward to it so I decided to read the beginning (which is something I often do), just one or two pages, to get a feel of it and to reassure myself that I judged the book right (because I kinda sorta might have downloaded it because of the cover... don't judge!). The next thing I know, I've read the whole thing, I just... zipped through it. Yep. That happened.

Then four months and lots of other books happened and I kinda sorta forget to write a review. #epicfail Or maybe not. Because this way I ~~had~~ got to reread it. Fan Art is such a feel-good, positive book, and the second time through was just as sweet as the first.

Love you, man! (I may or may not be watching School 5 for the best bromance ever)

And now everyone is reviewing Fan Art. Like EVERYONE. I haven't read any of those reviews, wanted to write mine first, but I hope you others loved it, too. Even though I'm a bit biased (I love cute contemporaries with LGBT characters), I'm aware it wasn't flawless - like it has the evil sentence ("letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding"), which might annoy some readers (*whispers* I've always liked that line) - but it did everything I wanted from it.

Fan Art hits that feel-good/pick-me-up sweet spot dead on. Although the ending is relatively predictable, there are some mini-surprises along the way and if you ask me, it was predictable in the best kind of way. Also the likable characters carry the story really well, there are no dull moments here.

Jamie is afraid to come out at school because of his best friend. The best friend he might or might not be falling for.

"It was the best of times," I say, holding my fist like a microphone and pretending to give a speech. "It was the worst of times-"
"It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness," Mason continues.
"And now that we all headed our separate ways," I say in my microphone voice, deviating from Dickens because I don't know the next line.
"We had everything before us," he says.
"Freedom, college, the future..."
"The whole effin' world!" Mason says with a whoop.

Dorks. Adorable dorks. (I'm not sure I like the word 'adorkable'...) Aww~ I CAN ONLY GUSH. I loved these guys. Their bromance was just aww~ I also liked that they were both sort-of popular (had friends!) and that Jamie's reason for not coming out wasn't because he was worried he would get bullied (I have read enough of those type of books). And really, his secret wasn't much of a secret.... And all the side characters were ~~LGBT~~ wonderful, too. Tregay writes in a fashion that makes you really FEEL the characters; they feel so achingly real, you can't help but become invested in their happiness.

I totally get the "fan girls" in Fan Art (I wanted the ship to happen pretty badly)

Fan Art is definitely one of those stories where things are better (and people are more accepting), but it's not an utopian story by any means, in fact everything that happened struck me as pretty realistic. Aaand yeah, there is definitely still room for things to get (even) better. (hint: Mason's dad)

One thing I found a bit lacking was the graphic short (the source of conflict!). The plot was cute, and I liked that it got them think/act, but the art was so simple and... rough (unfinished?). Maybe because I read the ARC... but it's kind of acknowledged by the characters as well, so... (Edit: the art looks more polished in the finished book) I liked the poems though (yes, it has some poems, too). They sounded like something real teens would write.

Fan Art is cute and fun (and probably a bit... idealistic), but it also has substance and heart. So. Much. Heart. We all need books like Fan Art.

So, have you (already) read it? What were your thoughts? Or is it on your TBR? It is, right?
Don't know what to put in your beach bag? *whisper-shouts* FAN ART

[Mental Health Awareness Month] I Recommend...

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 18:47:00 +0000

- hosted by Ula @ Blog of Erised and Leah @ Uncorked Thoughts

I Recommend...

YA LGBT

Suicide Watch by Kelley York - Depression, Suicide - "18-year-old Vincent Hazelwood has spent his entire life being shuffled from one foster home to the next. His grades sucked. Making friends? Out of the question thanks to his nervous breakdowns and unpredictable moods."

Vivaldi in the Dark series by Matthew J. Metzger - Depression, Suicide - "How do you stop a dangerous depression rooted in the same thing that makes someone what they are? Dark moods, blank apathy, and the undertow of self-loathing all simmer beneath Darren's dry and beautiful veneer, and Jayden feels powerless to stop them."

Scratches on the Surface by Aaron Smibert - Self harm - "a difficult and complicated journey for the two disparate teenagers who can only abhor each other more and more the closer they get. Taylor is confronted and confused by Derek’s proclivity for self-harm and his seemingly reckless sexual activity – it collides with his own straitlaced upbringing, governed by a strong moral code. Yet Taylor is also strangely drawn to his new friend who eventually forces him to confront aspects of himself that he scarcely knew existed."

YA - female MC

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler - Eating Disorder - "Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?"

Shadows on the Moon by Zöe Marriott - Cutting - "A powerful tale of magic, love and revenge with a strong female lead set in fairy-tale Japan; this is "Cinderella" meets "Memoirs of a Geisha"."

Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley - Dissociative identity disorder - "Pretty Girl-13 is a disturbing and powerful psychological thriller about a girl who must piece together the story of her kidnapping and captivity and then piece together her own identity."

YA - male MC

Boy21 by Matthew Quick - PTSD - "Russ has just moved to the neighborhood. A former teen basketball phenom from a privileged home, his life has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he now answers only to the name Boy21—his former jersey number—and has an unusual obsession with outer space."

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon - Autism - "Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, fifteen-year-old Christopher is autistic and everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him ... Then one day, a neighbor's dog, Wellington, is killed and his carefully constructive universe is threatened. Christopher sets out to solve the murder in the style of his favorite (logical) detective, Sherlock Holmes."

Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Sáenz - (Alcohol) Addiction, Amnesia (and other... issues) - "Zach is eighteen. He is bright and articulate. He's also an alcoholic and in rehab instead of high school, but he doesn't remember how he got there. He's not sure he wants to remember. Something bad must have happened. Something really, really bad."

New Adult

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - Social Anxiety, Alcohol Problems, Bipolar Disorder - "Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. [...] And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone."

Secret for a Song by S.K.Falls - Munchausen Syndrome - "Saylor Grayson makes herself sick. Literally. She ate her first needle when she was seven. Now, at nineteen, she’s been kicked out of college for poisoning herself with laxatives. The shrinks call it Munchausen Syndrome. All Saylor knows is that when she’s ill, her normally distant mother pays attention and the doctors and nurses make her feel special."

Addicted to You by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie - Addiction (Alcohol, Sex) - "No one would suspect shy Lily Calloway’s biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own. Loren Hale’s best friend is his bottle of bourbon."

Adult

Veronica Wants to Die by Paulo Coelho - Depression, Suicide - "Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything she could wish for: youth and beauty, plenty of attractive boyfriends, a fulfilling job, and a loving family. Yet something is lacking in her life. Inside her is a void so deep that nothing could possibly ever fill it. So, on the morning of November 11, 1997, Veronika decides to die. She takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up."

Long Way Down by Nick Hornby - Depression, Suicide Attempts - "New Year's Eve at Toppers' House, North London's most popular suicide spot. And four strangers are about to discover that doing away with yourself isn't quite the private act they'd each expected."

Charley Davidon series by Darinda Jones - it's not in the focus but Charley has ADD (and it really shows in the way she talks/thinks )

Horror/Mystery/Thriller

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King - Addiction (Drug, Alcohol) - "Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”"

John Clever Trilogy by Dan Wells - Antisocial Personality Disorder - "John Wayne Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it. He’s spent his life doing his best not to live up to his potential. He’s obsessed with serial killers, but really doesn’t want to become one. So for his own sake, and the safety of those around him, he lives by rigid rules he’s written for himself, practicing normal life as if it were a private religion that could save him from damnation."

In the Blood by Lisa Unger - features more than one mentally disturbed character - "SOMEONE KNOWS LANA’S SECRET—AND HE’S DYING TO TELL. Lana Granger lives a life of lies. She has told so many lies about where she comes from and who she is that the truth is like a cloudy nightmare she can’t quite recall."

Have you read any of these books? Are you going to? ~,~
What "mental health" books would you recommend?

[Mental Health Awareness Month] Mental Health Books?

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 17:07:00 +0000

- hosted by Ula @ Blog of Erised and Leah @ Uncorked Thoughts

Over the weekend, I have started compiling a list of recommendations for Mental Health Awareness Month and while adding this book and nixing another (and then rethinking and putting it back), I - almost unconsciously - started this post. A ~~wondering~~ post about what makes a book a "Mental Health" book. A - main - character who is having mental problems? But then again, what counts as mental problem?

Do developmental disorders, like autism count?

And what about drug and alcohol abuse? Is addiction a mental illness? (I'm leaning toward yes...)

Should I include my "favorite" psychopaths? Sociopaths? "Crazy" people? On one hand, people with personality disorders don't think the way normal people do. On the other, what is normal (when it comes to characters)? What is crazy? What is just eccentric? Because what might be normal for one (character/reader/author), might not seem that way to another.

Do a character have a mental health issue, if they like their crazy ways? If them being crazy is just a quirk? Or if the author writes them in a way that suggests that they are fine with the way they are. Should they ~~be strapped into a straightjacket~~ see a fictional therapist? Or maybe it's the author who needs one (a real one)? (I know, I'm rambling. And there might not be clear, black and white answers, but I enjoy this wondering.)

There are some books that are born to be Mental Health Awareness Reads, though. The so-called Mental Health Issue books. Books where the focus is on the - main - character having some kind of mental issue (depression, severe anxiety, panic attacks, eating disorders, self harm, sleep disorders, PTSD, suicidal ideation, etc.).

- a cry for help

Sometimes they are aware of the problem, sometimes it takes them time to figure out what's wrong with them, other times they try to ignore it. They struggle. They stumble and fall. But other(characters)s are there to catch them, to give them strength to face their problems, and to try to improve their mental health. And, in most cases, they succeed - things get better for them.

These "issue" books are there to give hope, to tell you that you're not alone, to catch you when no one else does, and I think that's a great thing. They also make us understand others better - make us AWARE. I don't always like books that are too much of an issue books or "enjoy" the ones that are too heavy, but it's important that they can be found on the shelves.

- they can help when every day feels like this

What's your take on Mental Health books?

[LGBT Challenge 2014] A Discussion Topic, an Award Nomination, a Readathon and a Winner (walk into a bar...)

noreply@blogger.com (Cayce) — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 17:16:00 +0000

(... and the Discussion Topic says) *sigh* Sometimes my post titles are almost as bad as bad jokes, haha.

Anyway, hello again, LGBT Challenge participants! Yesterday I promised a new discussion topic (in honor of Pride Month), so here it is:

Community & Support

In June, let's discuss LGBT communities - either real life or fictional -, and people and or characters that support them! If you're part of the LGBT community, share your real life experiences. Or compare reality to fiction. If you're an ally to the LGBT community, tell us about how you support LGBT people.

Or if you prefer to keep the topic bookish, talk about your favorite characters that helped (taught) LGBT characters to take pride in who they are. Characters who accepted them as they are. Characters - such as teachers, parents, friends or just a random stranger - who were good influence and or provided useful resource.
Let's celebrate these characters! For example: list your favorite best friends to LGBT characters (like Charlotte who was Emi's BFF in Everything Leads to You, just to give one example from my latest favorite) or books where the characters formed a gay-straight alliance, etc.

You have until the end of the month to post your discussion. And don't forget to link it UP (it will count as another entry toward the grand prize as well as the next drawing).

What do you think? Do you like June's topic? Have any ideas for next month?

Next up, something I was very excited to learn about. My little blog, Fighting Dreamer, has been nominated for Outstanding Support of LGBT Community (along with some pretty awesome blogs/sites/authors) in YA Web Awards! Woo-hoo!! I don't know how it happened, but huge thank you to those who nominated/voted for my blog in the first round!

Go HERE to vote! (Maybe for me?)

Another thing I just found about is the Ninth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge hosted by MotherReader, a readathon that is "in solidarity of the cause of WeNeedDiverseBooks" is "dedicated to reading, sharing and reviewing books that show diversity in all ways". It's happening this weekend (June 6-8) so clear your calender, prepare lots of diverse books, stock up on food and join the fun (if you can)! (I'm not sure how many hours I will be able to read, but I have some LGBT books on my tbr for June so I might as well read them this weekend ;)

Are you going to participate?

And now it's time to draw May's winner.... *drumroll*... and the Winner is:

Congrats, Angie! I'll be emailing you with details. And if you haven't won, have some

consolation cheesecake and good luck next time ~.~