Yes, yes, I read a Christmas story in the middle of the year. Bring your shackles and prods and take me to hell. I reread this over the weekend becausYes, yes, I read a Christmas story in the middle of the year. Bring your shackles and prods and take me to hell. I reread this over the weekend because I was trying to stave off anxiety. The anxiety stalemated the battle and I think I will win the war. Hopefully.
This book is about James, a young man recently down on his luck being sent off to acquire an unreleased Dickens, The Christmas Cake, from a seller to whom he must remain anonymous. James would so love to tell Mr Stephanopoulos to go shove his entire being up his ass but he has few choices these days. He was recently involved in a conspiracy that led to the death of a forger. Unfortunately, James' reputation preceded him and his well-earned arrogance has led him to an ill-deserved fate.
When he meets the owner of The Christmas Cake, Sedgwick Crisparkle, James has the oddest evening of his life. One involving an ocelot, two arguments, great sex, and a cocktail the colour of stardusted sky. This book is an ode to book collectors. When I first read it, years ago, I had no appreciation for rare books (I now follow perhaps 10 rare books bookstores on Instagram) and I didn't have a curated book collection (We're at 300 and counting).
The book has a signature Lanyon flare where we have angst because James is catching feelings for Sedgwick, alarmingly fast. But James is hiding the fact that it's Mr Stephanopoulos who wants the book. When James hits rock bottom, again, he's selling mindless books to last minute book shoppers, working at the cashier at Barnes and Noble after rubbing shoulders with people who'd view first folios of Emily Dickinson and handling handwritten letters of James Joyce. We are on the edge of our seats waiting to see if Sedwick will figure out about Mr S. James takes it upon himself to inflate the amount Sedgwick could get for the book, a misguided attempt to get Sedgwick more money. Does it all come crashing down or will he miraculously get away with it all? Like snowfall in Los Angeles. This book is charming, heartwarming, delightful and beautiful. It still has a Lanyonism I am beginning to resent where prequel worthy events are explained rather than getting a full flashback or even a full on novella. But still I love it. And the monster that is my anxiety is hibernating, like a bear....more
Meet Bailey, a nerd with a penchant for birds. Unfortunately, he also happens to be allergic to feathers. Bailey is a nice boy. Every morning, he passMeet Bailey, a nerd with a penchant for birds. Unfortunately, he also happens to be allergic to feathers. Bailey is a nice boy. Every morning, he passes by his neighbour, Gannet's house to wake him up and give him a ride to school.
Now Gannet is not particularly a slacker, he just hates his home town. He'd rather sit by the bleachers with his bff and snark about how lame their lives are while ogling the track team--which Bailey happens to be on. After a rather teenage dramatic fight where Gannet declares he doesn't care for Bailey's alarm clocking and chauffeuring, they appear to part ways. However, Bailey isn't one to flake on his promises. And he promised Gannet's mum that he'd give Bailey a ride to school every morning. But this particular morning, something is different.
When Bailey does his oh Romeo wherefore art thou rendition below Gannet's window, Gannet usually pokes his head out screaming enough obscenities to make the devil blush. His uncharacteristic silence prompts St Bailey the Perpetual Good Boy to check on Gannet. upon arriving in Gannet's room, he finds Gannet's bed full of blood and Gannet seated on his bathroom floor blood all over his back. That's when things change forever for both of them.
I have been rewatching Heartstopper and navigating anxiety attacks for the past few weeks. My brain is nothing but a pile of mush and goo unable to function longer than fifteen minutes at a time unless absolutely necessary. But I hate to go a day without reading, so after rereading Heartstopper on tapas as well, I decided to look for something that could give me the Awws and Goos.
I stumbled on Avialae rather serendipitously (thank god for SEO). And the art was quite stunning. The storyline was also really well-flowing and before I knew it, I was hooked. From start to end, this paranormal fantasy tale about hidden kingdoms and navigating a romance while discovering something so profoundly different about you is just lovely. If you're looking for an easy going sublime story, look no further than How to Train your Birdman here....more
I'd missed some new Calmes crack that harkened to her slow burn friends and/or strangers, enemies to lovers era.
This book was sweet, almost saccharinI'd missed some new Calmes crack that harkened to her slow burn friends and/or strangers, enemies to lovers era.
This book was sweet, almost saccharine, with how perfect everything was. It was also nice to see the Jory/Jin type being the business owner for once.
I also loved the use of the obliviously-in-love trope. As I am also used to Calmes, I was able to keep up with all the characters. All of them. There are characters you will meet midparagraph who have a fully fledged personality that won't matter a few paragraphs later. And somehow I was able to keep up with it because it's Mary fucking Calmes' world and I'm just living in it. ...more
Oh look I finished a book. And it's saccharine, riddled with cliches punctuated by a few laughs, but it's sweet, cute and fluffy. However, the most imOh look I finished a book. And it's saccharine, riddled with cliches punctuated by a few laughs, but it's sweet, cute and fluffy. However, the most important thing is, I finished a book....more
this is kind of an epic love story... that's what makes it epic. You don't need to die for each other to make this exciting. Just the fact tha
this is kind of an epic love story... that's what makes it epic. You don't need to die for each other to make this exciting. Just the fact that you're here together- that's enough. That's epic enough.
After reading Callender's latest work, Felix Ever After, I decided they should be a 1-click author. The ringer that I was put through reading Felix's epic love story is one I will gladly sign up for again. Because while there is young adult angst, there is payoff, surprise, closure. And that's all I want in my romance books.
This book didn't turn me into a wrung out marshmallow like Felix's story did but I related with Nathan rather viscerally. He is a neurotic, antisocial writer... well, screenwriter.... he wants to be a screen-wright. He did have an overbearing best friend/ex (the kind of drama I'd rather die than endure), and other friends that were picked straight out of a typical American high school movie. But these little- annoyances- didn't matter. Because the best things about this book are Nate's wariness of happy endings Happy endings aren't real. American Beauty. The Departed. Melancholia. Memento. They've got it right;
his love for movies I choose The Matrix (third favorite movie of all time) ...the film club moderator gives us Pan's Labyrinth to watch with its English subtitles- my tenth favorite movie of all time ..."You wouldn't stop talking about Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind for months." "Eighth favorite movie of all time";
and Oliver James.
Ah Oliver James, another most precious cinnamon roll. I just wanted to smush him in heart emojis and ugh Nate describes him best.
He's got brown hair tumbling into his face, brown eyes that shine with the kindness of a thousand nuns, the kind of dimples that'd make even a cold-hearted soul want to pinch his cheeks.
This is kind of an epic love story. But I did have a few issues with it. The ending is rather abrupt. And not in an ambiguous literary way. But more of an "Is that it?" moment because I could have used a few more details. Florence, the ever present bff, needed to learn about this thing called boundaries and frankly I found her pushiness very offputting.
This book has been compared to Simon v The Homo Sapiens Agenda but I wouldn't go that far. It's quite the cavity inducer but it's lacking a certain je ne sais quoi.
If you are in the mood for a lovely low stakes young adult contemporary romance with great lgbtq representation with a socially awkward film nerd protagonist, look no further....more
"You deserve to be loved," he tells me, then kisses me. "You deserve all of my love."
Felix Love has never been in love. The irony grates
"You deserve to be loved," he tells me, then kisses me. "You deserve all of my love."
Felix Love has never been in love. The irony grates at him. Trust me, I get it. My name is Gloria and I'm an atheist. For Felix though, I don't think the problem is that he's never been in love. I think it's because he's obliviously in love and that good people, is how you write a brilliant romance.
I've said time and again that I worship the holy trinity of first person pov, great writing and surprising your reader. Ok I've never said it. But consider it said. And I like omniscient narrators too. However, I would give my kingdom for books to kill that infernal dual pov. In many contemporary romances, they find it necessary to give us a dual pov of the main couple so we know from the get go who ends up with whom, even when it's a motherfucking love triangle. In which case, it beggars belief why they write a love triangle when it's clearly just a line with a pathetic thirdwheeling hanger-on.
In this wonderful wonderful book, we meet Felix, who is again a trifecta of my favourite things in a character. Messy, artistic no one chooses to be an artist because it's easy and surprisingly funny. Bonus, he's from New York. He's a teenage black trans artist from New York and... I think my brain exploded from all the serotonin. Considering the screeches caused by some of the scenes in the book that were so loud my cat is still mad at me, I'd say it likely did. Not gonna check my ears for residue tho.
The story starts with Felix on a train with his ride or die Ezra, a most precious cinammon roll if there ever was one. They are on a way to a photo shoot where frenemy extrodinaire with Draco Malfoy energy Declan goes out of his way to be a dick to both of them; but unlike Draco, Declan was just a misunderstood antagonist(?).
As things move forward, Felix finds out that someone has it out for him. They have been sending him transphobic messages and even put up a gallery with his deadname and his past. This upsets Felix (understandably) and sends Ezra in a raze-it-to-the-ground rage (obviously). In their friend group, suspects stand out, some more than others and others simply because Felix has fixated and decided that they are the ones behind everything. Honestly, how he had the capacity to be perfectly reasonable in one scene then obsessing in the next was just a marvel to watch.
Events unfolded long enough for us to see Felix grow into his identity, finding the courage to be himself, settling in his own skin. His dad even tells him,
I've never seen you with this light inside of you. You weren't happy, and now you are, and that's all I could ever want for you. That's all I could ever ask. You're happy. And brave. You've been so courageous, just by being yourself, even knowing that the world won't always accept you for who you are. You refuse to be anything but yourself, no matter what. I look up to that. I admire that.
This book made me cry, laugh, cheer, scream, wish bloody murder on some unsavoury characters. In the author's note they tell us,
I hope that readers took away a lot after reading Felix Ever After: laughs and tears; a roller coaster ride of a romance, empowerment, and validation; and a story they thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.
TW: Book contains bullying and homophobia
This is2.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.
TW: Book contains bullying and homophobia
This is the most average book I have ever read. From the over-explained scenes about making spaghetti. How much water is needed. How much boiling the water needed. I got the impression that a specific word count was the goal and because this was a bare bones story that had a lot of filler before it started lab partnering.
Elliot is a young man battling depression, denial and bullying... lmao no. This book didn't have the guts to explore that. Elliot is just a young man. He thinks he is boring. He can cook, he has a badass best friend, a twin sister wunderkind and soon, a lab partner that he falls in love with. Elliot does have three bullies that torment him but they also were cardboard cutout stereotypical bullies from every generic American high school movie ever made. Jordan wasn't special either.
The one character that I was intrigued by is Cole. He is one of Elliot's bullies but he had "a secret". He seemed more complex and more meaty as a story than Elliot. This is only the second Wattpad book I've ever read and I won't lie, it will be the last....more
The problem with my life was that it was someone else's idea.
*Gasp* Mine too.
It's rare to find a piece of literature that understands you
The problem with my life was that it was someone else's idea.
*Gasp* Mine too.
It's rare to find a piece of literature that understands you just a handful of pages in. Benjamin Alire Saenz's novel does an amazing job of being relatable. It's one of my favourite reads ever.
Aristotle, who prefers to be known as Ari, is 15 going on 1500. He is an old soul- almost like the philosophers he likes distancing himself from. Ari values his aloofness and his reticence to emotion.
His father is a Vietnam vet who is still battling with trauma from that war. Mum's a teacher. He has siblings- two sisters that treat him like the child they don't know he isn't and a brother who goes unmentioned in their house. He is Voldemort- a man who will remain unnamed. Ari tries to get his father to open up and talk but he just won't and he internalises it. Leading him to mistakenly believe that being fifteen was the worst tragedy of all. At least, until he meets Dante.
Dante is what many of my peers would call a best-book-boyfriend. Attractive, brave, thoughtful, charming, deep, sensitive and with an adorable aversion to tennis shoes. Together, Ari and Dante try to figure out the secrets of the universe. Not exactly, actually. But more of they stumble upon secrets of the universe as they lived their friendship.
Ari is aware that there's something missing. He knows there is something fundamental about himself he doesn't quite grasp. 'I guess I was a mystery to myself. That sucked. I had serious problems'.
Dante introduces himself to Ari by offering to teach him how to swim. His fearlessness, his helpful nature and how open he was was part of the reasons why Ari found himself clinging to Dante. Even though sometimes it felt like he was holding on to the periphery of Dante's soul. Ari struggled to make friends. A natural introvert. My typa guy. It was better to be bored by yourself than to be bored with someone else.
As the summer continues, Ari learnt more about the universe. Especially the cosmos that was Dante. Dante called him inscrutable. Enigmatic. He opened Ari's mind to the possibility of words. Words were different when they lived inside of you.
Ari is a young man who may have been depressed. One of his friends constantly referred to him as Melancholy Boy. And he walked around with a sadness that made him almost Poe-tic. He even dropped his middle name Angel and instructed everyone to call him Ari rather than Aristotle. He liked the fact that he could change his name to Air.
It might be a great thing to be air. I could be something and nothing at the same time. I could be necessary and also invisible. Everyone would need me and no one would be able to see me.
He and Dante understood each other. How they were both outsiders in their families. In their worlds.
As time went on, Ari learnt to open up. To let himself feel in front of others. To love. He flirted with possibilities. I bet you could find all of the mysteries of the universe in someone's hand.
The entire book is from Ari's perspective. It reads a bit like a journal and this makes it feel even more authentic. Subtle nuances of Mexican culture are sprinkled throughout the book. It allows for a low-key appreciation of how varied ethnicity can be. How gaps between generations are created. I experience this all the time within my circles.
Growing up in the city, my mother tongue wasn't used often. And whenever I speak it, I sound like a tourist. Like an outsider. Dante put it best.
I live in the new world. But they understand the old world, the world they come from and I don't. I don't belong anywhere. That's the problem.
The book also highlights the challenges that come with growing up. The post-pubescent existential awareness that brings a whole world of doubt. Remember how it felt being 15? I was just discovering my propensity for writing fiction. I was growing hips, calves and boobs. And nobody said how fucking wide they would get. I also felt suddenly stupider having just joined high school the year before. I even toyed with the idea of dropping out of school but there was so much drama at home- but at least I had a place to stay when I was there. But Dante grasped it again too.
'When do we start feeling like the world belongs to us?
I [Ari] wanted to tell him that the world would never belong to us, 'I don't know,' I said, 'Tomorrow.'
So, raise your glass to figuring out the secrets of the universe. And to owning the world.
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EDIT:July 24th 2020, Author announces we're getting A MOVIE!!...more
I highly doubt this would ever reach you, as you are a fictional character and all but fuck it. I feel as though we are friends. Or at tDearest Monty,
I highly doubt this would ever reach you, as you are a fictional character and all but fuck it. I feel as though we are friends. Or at the very least, if you were real, I'd be honoured if you would be my friend.
Your first adventure, a grand tour— though that is too kind a description for your grand misadventures— spoke to me in a way few stories have managed to. Last that comes to mind is Less (probably my favorite book other than The Night Circus) a book about a man who ends up on a grand tour of his own to escape the fact that his ex is getting married. Pay me no mind, I'm just emotional with— emotion.
You were often a panacea for the miasma I endure in this increasingly uncertain world. For instance, your conversation with Percy.
I wrangle my waistcoat over my head and drop it onto the floor. From his back, Percy points at my stomach. "You've something peculiar down there." "What?" I look down. There's a smear of bright red rouge below my navel. "Look at that." "How do you suppose that got there? Percy asks with a smirk as I spit on my hand and scrub at it. "A gentleman doesn't tell." "Was it a gentleman?" "Swear to God, Perce, if I remembered, I'd tell you."
It is perhaps one of the most effective fun ways I've ever seen dialogue used to display the camaraderie between potential lovers. And I loved you both immediately. Your sister, Felicity was also a delightful breath of fresh air. Though I bemoaned the fact that she was astonishingly intelligent for someone so young. I could barely remember my times tables beyond 8 when I was 18 let alone devouring medical almanacs when I was 15. She's a remarkable woman.
I loved how fearless you were even when crippled with fright. I loved how you accepted the fact that you felt helpless, useless and ended up doing something about it—albeit unwittingly—unlike I who is excellent at just burrowing further into my blankets when it's a day whereby I can't even.
Your cavalier attitude reminded me of one of my favourite fictional characters. Jack Sparrow. Sorry. Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow. You are just as quotable too if not more so. Though he had a lot less- refinement.
I could almost say I've come out of this braver. Bolder. I have no clue. I do not have the kind of life that requires running off to Santorini as a means of reclaiming your life. But then again you do believe, subtlety is a waste of time. Fortune favors the flirtatious. I could very well resent your privilege because it is the only thing that allows you the chance to go on a tour of Europe.
I envy your impulsivity. I can't afford it, literally and because historically it's cost me a lot. But at the very least I will always be grateful for your story because it provides me with a second-hand adventure. And one day, perhaps I'll be just as brilliant as you and your friends.
WARNING: THIS REVIEW HAS A SHORT STORY ABOUT MY LIFE.
When I was 10, I had just been moved to my 3rd primary school. I was also enduring some level ofWARNING: THIS REVIEW HAS A SHORT STORY ABOUT MY LIFE.
When I was 10, I had just been moved to my 3rd primary school. I was also enduring some level of traumatic stress because the school had a rule against long hair. They chopped my beautiful black shoulder-length locks that had taken me endless trips to salons and hairdos that bordered on torture techniques to get it to grow that long. But, alas, that was the least of my worries. We were essentially starved. Having a plate of porridge at 6 am, a quarter cup of tea at 10.45 am, lunch at 2 and supper at 6. With puberty rearing its ugly head, I often felt like I could even eat the soil. Honestly, I don’t understand why growing out them tits and curves makes you so damn hungry. Anyway, life was odd. But there was one silver lining. His name was Joseph.
I was a troublemaker in this school. I had been rejected by 3 desk-mates because I talked too much and I slept through night preps. Eventually, I was seated with one boy whom I had never really spoken with since joining that class of 48 students. Joseph had the most gorgeous eyelashes I had ever seen. And the most infectious laugh. We were giggle buddies. Often getting into trouble together. Like when we stole raw maize to sustain us between those seasonal “meals”. If you wanted to know where I was, you needed only to ask Joseph. We were bosom buddies. Allies. Partners in crime. But Joseph was also my first crush.
Every time I saw him, I would break into a wide smile. My unique teeth-gaps were visible to all. Hell, you could examine my uvula. I had a similar effect on him. It was ridiculous. It was cute. One moment that really stood out was when Valentine’s Day rolled around. Most of my classmates already had a Valentine. I was predominantly disliked so I didn’t expect to have one. But then I asked Joseph if he had one. And he giggled. That titter made my heart pitter-patter with delight[er?].
“Why, do you?” he asked.
I smiled. A uvula doctor needed only shine a torch down my throat from their house.
“Maybe?” I answered.
He wanted to reply but a teacher walking in for her next class stopped him. The day progressed with it’s usual drudgery. After lunch break, when I opened my locker, my books were covered in red flowers. I looked at Joseph. He smiled.
“Now I have one,” I told him. I almost kissed him but it was a Catholic school. And the class prefect once reported me for eating toothpaste in class. I decided against it. In the spirit of self-preservation.
But after that day, every time I would see Joseph, my heart would be all a-flutter. My tummy would roll. My palms would get sweaty. My spirit was buoyant. My flesh awakening. It was then that I realized that I had an affinity for taller boys with face bushes. That first crush… that first [dare I say it] love… there’s no other feeling like it. It’s like sunlight after a week-long storm. A cup of tea indoors on a cold rainy afternoon. That crisp feeling of sliding between sun-kissed sheets after a warm bath.
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That’s what this book felt like. I am a big pile of warm gooey goodness after devouring it in one sitting. I can’t fully describe what it made me feel like. It was just beautiful. Moving. Amazing. Fluffy. It was like being wrapped in candy floss. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is melted chocolate over a stack of fluffy pancakes. It’s like mama’s hug after a hellacious day. I just felt so… blissful. This book deserves its awards and more. Because this book is now Joseph of my library.
Read it, if you haven't already.
Reread completed Feb 28th 2020. This book is still Joseph of my library....more
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