LGBQTIA – Page 12 – My Good Reads

‘How Many Letters Are In Goodbye?’ – Yvonne Cassidy

I wanted to like this book more than I did.

Rhea is eighteen, and finds herself homeless. Remembering an old ritual that her father instigated, Rhea decides to write a letter to her mother.

Through this epistolary format, Rhea explores her family set-up and her thoughts about her experiences. She examines her feelings about being gay, and how she was injured.

I genuinely felt that Rhea was trying to deal with so many things that I never got to see her as a credible character. This was an interesting idea, but it didn’t work for me in the way that I hoped it would.

‘Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda’ – Becky Albertalli

When we meet Simon Spier he’s enthralled by the mysterious Blue, the only person in school that knows Simon is gay. Through their email exchanges we see how Simon is coming to terms with who he is. Then one of Simon’s emails is seen by the wrong person and things become more than a little complicated.

While this is a story about coming out and issues surrounding being homosexual, it was also a story about friendships and learning to accept who you are/how you engage with those around you.

At times I did feel the whole experience was a little saccharine – I’m not sure how positive an experience this would be in reality. That aside, this was a witty and enjoyable read.

I spent most of the book, like Simon, second-guessing the identity of Blue. By the time we’re told who Blue is I was hoping for the feel good ending. I wasn’t disappointed.

‘Another Day’ and ‘Every Day’- David Levithan

1st August – I received a free digital copy of ‘Another Day’ – which isn’t due to be published until August 25th 2015 – from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing I have to do is admit that I haven’t read the companion book, Every Day. I would imagine that for people who know the story this would only be of interest to get a different perspective of events. Coming to the story fresh, as I did, meant I spent the first part of the story confused and trying to establish just who was who, and how their stories were linked. However, once the basic story was set up I was hooked.

The idea behind the story of A is fascinating. Each day allows us to see another facet of Rhiannon’s character, and to explore concepts about identity.

I will amend my review once the book has been published, but it should be enough to let you know that I’ve already downloaded the previous book and am looking forward to seeing how it changes my reading of the story.

18th August – Having now read ‘Every Day’ I found interesting to see how the two books complemented one another. Of course, nothing new is really added in this original version in terms of the plot but seeing the events through the eyes of A meant some of the blanks are filled in. If I had one gripe it’s that there’s never a satisfactory reason given for the pull between these two characters, but I am curious to see whether or not the mysterious Poole is to become the focus of another story.

‘The Paying Guests’ – Sarah Waters

Having purchased this as a gift, my interest had been piqued and I couldn’t resist picking up a copy from our local library. Although some time since I’d read anything by Sarah Waters, I thought I knew a little of what to expect. While that was the case to a certain extent, I was totally unprepared for what I got.

I don’t want to reveal too much. Reviews are widely available, so I’m not giving anything away by talking about the basic premise of the novel. It’s 1922 and the effects of war are everywhere. We are quickly drawn into this once genteel environment, on the cusp of great change, as Frances Wray and her widowed mother prepare to open their home to lodgers Len and Lillian Barber, the ‘paying guests’ referred to in the title.

Although the first section felt slow at times, I found the attention to detail absorbing and I was fascinated by the way in which Waters immerses us completely in this past world. As the inevitable occurs, I was more taken by the way in which Waters focused on the consequences of these shifting relationships. I certainly was not prepared for the two actions – one planned; the other not – that become so pivotal to the novel. From that moment on this book became something far more appealing and I, literally, could not put the book down.