Goodbye June

June was...a bit of a rollercoaster.
A productive as fuck rollercoaster but a rollercoaster nonetheless.


Just like 2019, I wanted to make some resolutions and (try to) stick to them. As a reminder, here were my updated resolutions.


2020 Resolutions:

     (1) Write [almost] every day

     (2) Don't stop reading

     (3) Complete something (e.g. a manuscript)

     (4) Share love of books/writing
     (5) Be kinder to myself

(1) Not every day. But at least half the days. And okay, if we're being honest, more like brainstorming and research for a new (well old but re-working on it--my Captain Hook piece) book. Lots of research. As I struggle to type this, my brain is slowly leaking out of my ears (its mush--mush).

(2) Books read this month: 17. I'm like on fire. Cranking through those TBR pile(S). Getting shit done. Maybe I'll let myself buy new books again soon ( ;) ).

(3) Manuscript chilling, waiting for people to read it, waiting for me to do research to find an agent, waiting in general. TBR pile(S) quickly shortening.

(4) Posts this month (including this one): 34. Yeah, 34, you read that right. Go. Me.

(5) Feeling good about myself most days. Definitely gained more weight. Definitely didn't exercise. Definitely feeling the fact that I can't really go anywhere, even when its all nice and sunny and the weekend (weekends are really hard).


Anyone still holding onto their resolutions?


Any exciting July reads?
Anything I should check out?

#newyearsresolutions #goodbyejune #hellojuly #hello2020 #keeplearning #writeeveryday #dontstopreading #completesomething #getprofessional #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

They Both Die At The End

Holy shit. This book ruined me.

Like I totally excepted it (the title, "They Both Die At The End", kind of gives it away). Predicted a little of it (the expertly planned clues--so freaking perfect). Didn't see a few things coming (or more than a few--again, so freaking perfect).

But seriously...I don't think I was ready.

I shouldn't have expected anything less from Adam Silvera though, #king.

["On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.

Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day."]

The next book I read will be much, much more light-hearted. Mostly because I need something sunnier. mostly because I need a change of pace.

#theybothdieattheend #adamsilvera #holyfuck #thisbookruinedme #LGBT #LGBTbooks #magicalrealism #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Dark and Deepest Red

A third magical realism, ya, queer, romance novel.
From one of the very first authors to bring magical realism to the YA genre. The prose queen herself, Anna-Marie McLemore.

If you don't know her name, look it up. Read everything she ever read. Repeat.

Seriously, if you didn't hate yourself (calling all you writers out there) for your description, you will after reading hers. It's practically poetry. It transports you places.

Not to mention how freaking well she does story retellings. And how she twists fairytales, turning them back into their dark, original selfs. Or how she almost effortlessly weaves queer characters/relationships into her story. How most of her main characters are marginalized POC. How she keeps getting better and better and better.

Okay, without further ado, please have at the description for her latest novel "Dark and Deepest Red":

["Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves.

Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago. But there’s more to what happened in 1518 than even Emil knows, and discovering the truth may decide whether Rosella survives the red shoes."]
#darkanddeepestred #annamariemclemore #magicalrealism #LGBT #LGBTbooks #books #booktagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Love & Other Curses

Alright folks! Another queer YA magical realism romance novel for y'all.

"Love & Other Curses" by Michael Thomas Ford. Holy freaking wow. This book was freaking fabulous.

This was a kind of book that just kind of spills inspiration everywhere. Not to mention all of the magic (because what good curse doesn't come with some great magical theory?).

["The Weyward family has been haunted by a curse for generations—if a Weyward falls in love before their seventeenth birthday, the person they love dies. Sam doesn’t plan to fall for anyone in the nine weeks before his birthday. He’ll spend his time working at the Eezy-Freeze with his dad; cooking up some midsummer magic with his grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother (the Grands); and experimenting with drag with the help of the queens at the Shangri-La, the local gay club. But when a new guy comes to town, Sam finds himself in trouble when they strike up a friendship that might be way more than that.

As Sam’s birthday approaches and he still hasn’t quite fallen in love, the curse seems to get more powerful and less specific about who it targets. A mysterious girl Sam talks to on the phone late at night and a woman he’s only seen in a dream might have the answers he’s been looking for—but time is running out to save the people he cares about. "]
Trigger warnings: suicide, self-harm, transphobia, abusive relationships, drug over dose, death

Seriously! Go read this thing! I'm begging you.

#loveandothercurses #michealthomasford #LGBT #LGBTbooks #books #magicalrealism #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Infinite Noise

It's still hard (but getting less so) to find books that fit into my little niche of books that many (most) of my WIPs fit into.
But Lauren Shippen's "The Infinite Noise" fits right into that genre: queer ya romance with magical realism aspects. Yeah, it's a lot, but its usually really fun and cute and totally worth more people writing/reading books here.

Okay, onto the book (one which while reading I hated how perfect it was--because why the fuck didn't I think of this idea):

["Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.”

Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb's ability is extreme empathy—he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb's life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam's feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb's feelings in a way that he can't quite understand.

Caleb's therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be."]

All of the descriptions of emotions, how freaking powerful her description of depression, the way she used colors to enhance the empathy connection...this book was really fucking hitting all A+s when it came to prose/description. Again, I kind of hated how good it was (because I didn't think of it first).

Go read this!
Just be prepared for some heavy depression description (I had to skim through those sections myself).

#theinfinitenoise #laurenshippen #abrightsessionsnovel #books #LGBTbooks #magicalrealism #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Gravity of Us

I think the random GoodReads posts I stumbled upon sums up this book the best: "space and the gays, who could possibly want anything more?"

But seriously? Who could want anything more than space and boys-who-love-boys?
Diversity? Standing up for yourself? Standing up for what you love? And who you love? Being independent? STEM? Women in STEM? Realistic descriptions of depression?

Okay, so that last one is a bit of a downer, but all of the above (rhetorical) questions are applicable to "The Gravity of Us" by Phil Stamper.

["As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, seventeen-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus.

Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another “Astrokid,” and finds himself falling head over heels—fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him."]
This book will most definitely bring out that weird era in your life where you were obsessed with space (because, be honest, we all went through that phase).
Makes me want to put on one of my multiple NASA shirts (and matching pj pants).

Also, I felt too lazy (stupid summer humidity) to pull out my numerous star twinkle lights. So instead, enjoy my glow-in-the-dark stars.

I'm burning through my TBR pile(S). But I still have soooo, sooo many left.
And struggling to piece together these series of scenes/characters I have flying through my brain lately.

#thegravityofus #philstamper #books #LGBTbooks #space #thegays #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

How To Be Remy Cameron

It took me three days to finish this. Mostly because I was trying to show self-restraint for once. But instead of taking it slow and reading at a leisurely pace (you know as opposed to my usual way of hungrily devouring pages at a scary rate), I just kind of avoided reading altogether. Opps.

Julian Winters's second book "How To Be Remy Cameron" is all about knowing who you are and yet really, really not knowing. It's about labels. Not necessarily accepting them. But accepting yourself despite the labels you gave yourself (and all the more labels that people gave you).

["Everyone on campus knows Remy Cameron. He's the out-and-gay, super-likable guy that people admire for his confidence. The only person who may not know Remy that well is Remy himself. So when he is assigned to write an essay describing himself, he goes on a journey to reconcile the labels that people have attached to him, and get to know the real Remy Cameron."]

The back book blurb might not say it, but there is indeed some love coming Remy's way.

Also a few spoiler alerts (for once, the book itself gave them to me/you--twice): homophobia, bullying, attempted sexual assault, alcoholism, mental illness, etc

Go, do something with your time. Read this.
Or read something and hit me up with a suggestion. ;)

#howtoberemycameron #julianwinters #LGBTbooks #books #bookphotography #bookstagram #ilovebooks