A Bunch of Bookish Reviews #9

Hey Readers! Since I read a couple of interesting novels in the past weeks, I thought it would be a great idea to give you some personal opinions about them! Here you will find the reviews of Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel and Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. Hope you will enjoy reading about them!

Title: Sea of Tranquility

Author: Emily St. John Mandel

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal–an experience that shocks him to his core.
Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She’s traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive’s best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.
When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This book was so amazing and I so enjoyed reading it! It was gifted to me by a friend and I decided to give it a try some days before the end of 2023. Little I knew it would end up in my Top 10 of my favourite books of that year and here I’ll tell you why.
First thing first, the plot was structured in a very cool way. Each story started from the beginning and then it was interrupted at some point so the next one could begin. It reminded me so much of one of my all-time favourite novels: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, that has a structure of a Russian doll (and if you haven’t read it I strongly suggest it to you). I felt really captivated while reading it and this structure gives the perfect pace to enjoy every single chapter. I also enjoyed the characters and their stories, it was interesting reading about their different points of view and how they experienced the main event that surrounds their lives.
The writing style was very fluent and it made me enjoy the book even more. Everything was explained very easily and the author made me understand all that happened. And what blew my mind was how every single piece fell into place in the end. How it was done was amazing and even if I saw it coming, I still loved it.
The only complaint I have regards a single thing that I didn’t appreciate because in my opinion it could have been developed better, but since it is part of a huge spoiler of the book, I prefer to not talk about it. Anyway, apart from that, I really suggest you this book because it deserves everything.

Title: Radio Silence

Author: Alice Oseman

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Frances Janvier spends most of her time studying. Everyone knows Aled Last as that quiet boy who gets straight As. You probably think that they are going to fall in love or something. Since he is a boy and she is a girl. They don’t. They make a podcast. In a world determined to shut them up, knock them down, and set them on a cookie cutter life path, Frances and Aled struggle to find their voices over the course of one life-changing year.
Will they have the courage to show everyone who they really are? Or will they be met with radio silence?

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Before I started reading this book I knew it was still part of the Heartstopper universe (because, duh, Aled is everywhere in the comics) but I didn’t know it would be full of references and allusions from Solitaire. And that’s probably one of the main reasons why I really enjoyed reading this book.
Another main reason why I liked it is for sure Alice Oseman’s writing style. The writing style is definitely one of my favourites, it’s never heavy or boring and every aspect of life and its dark sides is explored with such respect and delicacy that it makes my eyes tear up. Aled’s story is not an easy one and the topics that Oseman decides to deal with are important ones and I wish I had read this book sooner. Don’t get me wrong, I went to Uni, I enjoyed that period of time, but before going there I wished I had the chance to read this story because it would have made me realise many things.
Going back to Aled and Frances’ stories, I really enjoyed reading about these characters and finally understanding more about Aled’s life. I had never met Frances and it was a pleasure to get to know her and I really hope that Oseman will find a way to make her appear in the last volume of the comic.
I think this book has a lot of food for thought and definitely a lot of important messages for all the young people out there and that’s why this story has become one of my favourites by this author. If you still haven’t picked it up, please do yourself a favour and give it a try.

So these were my opinions about these two books! If you would like to let me know your own thoughts about what I said or you would like to talk about these novels, just leave a comment down below! Thanks for reading.

Alice Oseman’s Novellas Reviews

Hey readers! Last month I read Solitaire by Alice Oseman and since I’m up to date with Heartstopper (that I love soooo much), I decided to read the two novellas that are related to this book. They are “This Winter”, a prequel, and “Nick and Charlie”, a sequel. So, without further ado, let’s start!

*Beware, the following reviews contain spoilers from the novellas, Solitaire and Heartstopper*

Title: This Winter (Solitaire 0.5)
Author: Alice Oseman
Synopsis (from Goodreads): I used to think that difficult was better than boring, but I know better now… I’m not going to think about the past few months, about Charlie and me, and all of the sad. I’m going to block it all out. Just for today. “Happy Christmas, ” I say. The festive season isn’t always happy for Tori and her brother Charlie. And this year’s going to be harder than most.
Rating: 4/5 stars

This story was a little prequel of the main novel by the author. It introduces and follows the three Spring siblings and what happens to them at Christmas. I’m very interested in knowing more about Charlie and Tori, because they are two of my favourite characters of this fictional world (along with Nick).
I love how Tori is so protective with Charlie and she is always so good with him. After all he went through, Charlie deserves better, but his parents and relatives aren’t the best option right now.
For the first time I could experience what it is like to be in Charlie’s mind. I always read what he says in the graphic novel but I never got the chance to know more about his behaviour and his thoughts, but with this story I started getting a glimpse of them and I did enjoy them.

Title: Nick and Charlie (Solitaire 1.5)
Author: Alice Oseman
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie are the perfect couple – that they’re inseparable. But now Nick is leaving for university, and Charlie will be left behind at Sixth Form. Everyone’s asking if they’re staying together, which is a stupid question – they’re ‘Nick and Charlie’, for God’s sake! But as the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Or are they delaying the inevitable? Because everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever…
Rating: 4/5 stars

If I got the chance to experience what it was like to be in Charlie’s mind with the previous novella, now I finally know what it is like to be also in Nick’s mind. And I loved it. Even if it’s based on a huge misunderstanding, this novella is the celebration of Charlie and Nick’s love. I can’t help myself but ship them, they are the best couple ever. I can’t stop loving them, whatever they do. Also, I was so happy to see that Charlie, two years after his relationship with Nick, was starting to feel better after his illness. It filled my heart with happiness and joy. This couple will (and has to) last forever and I couldn’t be gladder than that.

These are my opinions about these two novellas, hope you enjoyed reading them! If you would like to let me know your own thoughts about them or you would like to comment what I said here, leave a comment down below. Thank you!

Solitaire by Alice Oseman – Review

Title: Solitaire

Author: Alice Oseman

Synopsis (from Goodreads): In case you’re wondering, this is not a love story. My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep, and I like to blog. Last year – before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people – I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that’s all over now. Now there’s Solitaire. And Michael Holden. I don’t know what Solitaire are trying to do, and I don’t care about Michael Holden. I really don’t.

Rating: 4/5 stars

 

Beware, the following review will contain some spoilers!

 

I really enjoyed reading this book in the last few days. I didn’t expect the story to be like this, in fact I was quite surprised about what happened in there!

I think that the plot was pretty cool, I started it thinking it was just about Tori, her life, her struggles, her friends, Charlie and Nick and so on. But, in addition to that, there’s also a mystery! Not the kind of guess-who-killed-someone mystery, ok, but it’s still something that needs to be solved. I’m talking about Solitaire’s blog and the many things that happen around Tori. Someone is trying really hard to impress her by doing many different things. And the mind behind was none other than Lucas. It was a bit obvious; I was unsure if it was Michael or him, but in the end, I was 90% sure it was Lucas.

Talking about Michael, I loved him so much. He was so adorable and peculiar, I got along with him immediately. He was a bit funny sometimes, but still lovely. And I was so excited that he and Tori ended up together! They are one of my new favourite ships (even though Nick and Charlie are still in the first place, no doubts).

I have to admit that I started reading this book because I was curious to know more about Nick and Charlie. Heartstopper is such an adorable and amazing graphic novel, it’s quite obvious that I would be so interested in knowing more. Well, their story wasn’t all easy peasy lemon squeezy at all. In the graphic novel the author is still introducing the main challenge that Charlie will face in Solitaire. It was hard to read about his disorder, really hard. I hope he will feel better in the future. And with Tori on his side I’m sure he will have all the help he needs.

Last but not least, Tori. I got along with her really well since the beginning. Maybe because sometimes I feel like her or maybe it’s because of this quarantine, I don’t know, but I felt what she felt for almost the entire book. And her relationship with Michael was adorable. I so loved them!

So, these are my opinions about this book, hope you liked reading it! If you would like to let me know your own thoughts about the novel or you would like to talk about what I said in this review, leave a comment down below! Thanks.

My I-hope-to-read-these-books-for-real-in-2020 TBR

Hey readers! Sorry for the long title but it’s sadly true: every time I try to create a TBR I end up not following it or I don’t even finish the first book in time (AKA Winter TBR, I’m looking at you). Even in the TBR I created last January I didn’t achieve many books, maybe just one or two.
To avoid this problem I decided to create a TBR Jar, so I won’t buy books and I would read the ones I already have in my room! The idea is great but watch me buy too many books even in 2020.

Now let’s be serious. I made a TBR that is simple and easy to follow with the books or authors I would like to discover this year. Let’s take a look!

 

Cassandra Clare

A TBR can’t even exist without this woman and the bazillion books she has written. I still have to read four books and 10 novellas, and I hope at least to start reading the TDA series this year. These books are huge, and I already like that.

 

Leigh Bardugo

I haven’t read anything by this author, but I keep hearing good things about her works. For this reason, I decided that 2020 is the year I’m going to discover the Grishaverse. I hope I won’t get disappointed, mostly by Six of Crows.

 

Jay Kristoff

I’m a sucker for this author and I still haven’t finished reading Godsgrave and Darkdawn. SHOCKING, I KNOW, but the hype is everywhere, and I know I will finish this series within the end of the year. Not to mention that in May “Aurora Burning”, written with Amie Kaufman, will come out and I already know I will devour this novel.

At least a couple of contemporaries

I’m not the greatest contemporary reader but I quite enjoy them, because I can’t ALWAYS read fantasy, my brain would explode. So, I’d like to read a couple of books from my TBR Jar, like something by Alice Oseman or Karen Mc Manus, but I will find out in the same moment I pick a card from the Jar.

 

So, these are the books and authors I hope to read this year. I hope you had fun reading this article! If you would like to let me know your own TBR or would like to talk about my choices, let me know leave a comment down here. Thanks!

PRIDE MONTH and LGBTQ+ Books Recommendations

Hi guys,
June is arrived, and this means Pride Month is finally here!
Today I want to write a different article because I’m thrilled to give you some information about why we celebrate queer people this month. I’m sure most of you already know everything, but I hope to provide you with something new.
Moreover, at the end of the article you’ll find some LGBTQ+ books recommendations. I hope you’ll enjoy them!

Pride Month takes place every year in June and it’s a great opportunity to celebrate. Whether you’re queer or an ally, it’s time to get the party started! This month will be full of parties, love, remembrance, support and parades. And I assure you, it’ll be quite a spectacle.  

But what’s really important is to not forget its roots. So, why do we celebrate Pride?
The history of Pride as we know it today owes its origin to the Civil Rights Movement. In 1965, the “Annual Reminder” marches started to grow, and they were meant to be public reminders that the LGBTQ+ community didn’t have the same civil rights as other people.
However, the real turning points are to be considered the Stonewell Riots. In 1969, LGBT people couldn’t congregate legally at a bar, or be served at bars. The only bar where they could meet and hang out was the Stonewall Inn, located in New York’s Greenwich Village. But even there, life wasn’t easy: police frequently raided the bar.
In the early morning of June 28th, 1969, Marsha Johnson, a black trans woman, fought back by throwing a  glass at police officers. This act of resistance, known today as the “shot glass heard around the world,” kicked off days of rioting and demonstrations. In commemoration of these riots came the first Christopher Street Liberation Day.
In the following years, these celebrations spread across the country and so the first Pride parades were born.

For many LGBT+ people, this month is the one time of the year in which they finally feel free to be out there and proud of who they are and who they love.
They find the courage to stand boldly in the streets with other queers, proclaiming that we are all humans and every single one of us deserves to be celebrated and uplifted just like everyone else.
Some straight people will say, for example, “I’m okay with you being gay, but why do you have to flaunt it in the streets? We don’t do that”. And that’s not true at all. Straight people flaunt their straightness all day, every day, in every part of the world. While LGBTQ+ people had to hide themselves for so many years, and nowadays it can still be a little uncomfortable or dangerous for them to express themselves in our community.
For most, Pride is considered as a first step to heal from the various traumas inflicted by our heterosexist and patriarchal society. It is the time when they step out of the darkness and let themselves shine without fear before everyone else.
So, throughout all the years, Pride Month has become a strong way to remember all the sufferings these people were (and still are) put through by society, and to celebrate proudly life and love in all their infinite forms.

And now, I’ll show you some of the books I love the most and some of the books that I really want to read that have good LGBTQ+ Rep.
Let’s start:

• Title: Red White and Royal Blue
  Author: Casey McQuiston
  Synopsis: First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince in the USA and his mother is President Ellen Claremont. When photos of an argument with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids, they threaten American/British relations. The plan to solve this problem is staging a fake friendship between Alex and Henry.
  At first it seems very difficult, but then Alex discovers that beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted with more than one ghost haunting him.
  As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself involved into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and overcome two nations. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex: Is he worth the sacrifice? And, most importantly, how will history remember them?
  Rep: gay, lesbian, bi, trans

• Title: Call Me By Your Name
  Author: André Aciman
  Synopsis: This is the story of a powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents’ mansion on the Italian Riviera. Unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, at first each shows indifference. But during the restless summer weeks that follow, buried currents of obsession and fear, fascination and desire, intensify their passion. What grows is a romance of scarcely six weeks’ duration and an experience that marks them for a lifetime.
  Rep: gay, bi

• Title: I Was Born For This
  Author: Alice Oseman
  Synopsis: For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark, a pop-rock trio of teenage boys. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything: friendships, dreams, her place in the world. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare. Because that’s the problem with dreaming: eventually real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.
  Rep: trans, bi

• Title: Girls of Paper and Fire
  Author: Natasha Ngan
  Synopsis: Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most oppressed class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the trauma of watching her mother being taken away by royal guards still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time it’s Lei they’re after, the girl whose golden eyes have piqued the king’s interest.
  Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that are suitable to a king’s consort. But Lei doesn’t want to watch her fate consume her. Instead, she falls in love. Her forbidden romance entangles itself with an explosive plot that threatens the very foundation of Ikhara, and Lei must decide just how far she’s willing to go for justice and revenge.
  TW: violence and sexual abuse.
  Rep: lesbian

• Title: Aristotle And Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
  Author: Benjamin Alire Saenz
  Synopsis: Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as they start spending time together, they discover they share a special friendship, the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime: they’ll learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
  Rep: gay

• Title: Radio Silence
  Author: Alice Oseman
  Synopsis: Frances is been a study machine with one goal, and nothing will stand in her way. Not friends, not a guilty secret, not even the person she is on the inside. Then Frances meets Aled, and for the first time she’s unafraid to be herself. So, when the fragile trust between them is broken, Frances is caught between who she was and who she longs to be. Now Frances knows that she has to confront her past. To confess why Carys disappeared…
  Rep: demisexual, gay, lesbian

• Title: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
  Author: Becki Albertalli
  Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
  Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or ruining his shot at happiness with the most adorable guy he’s still never met.
  Rep: gay, bi

• Title: Tash hearts Tolstoy
  Author: Kathryn Ormsbee
  Synopsis: Tash’s web series has gone viral. It’s a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina written by Tash’s literary love Count Lev Nikolayevich “Leo” Tolstoy. Tash is a fan of the forty thousand new subscribers, their gushing tweets, and Tumblr GIFs. Not so much of the pressure to deliver the best web series ever.
  And when Unhappy Families is nominated for a Golden Tuba award, Tash’s cyber-flirtation with Thom Causer, a fellow award nominee, suddenly has the potential to become something IRL, if she can figure out how to tell said crush that she’s romantic asexual.
  Rep: asexual

• Title: I Wish You All the Best
  Author: Mason Deaver
  Synopsis: When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they’re thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents’ rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school. But then, Ben meet Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student who decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan’s friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change.
  Rep: nonbinary

• Title: Captive Prince 
  Author: C.S. Pacat
  Synopsis: Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos. But when his half-brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave. Prince Laurent, epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.
  Rep: gay, bi

That’s all for today. I hope you guys enjoyed it and, please, feel free to leave in the comments down below other LGBTQ+ books recommendations. I’m eager to discover new books!