September Review

September was a month of trying new things. I started a new job, officially joined my mother's church band, and took a trip to see my sister. And while I've done all those things before, this time around everything felt a little more like it was a door to my something in my future, rather than just another thing to do. But, in addition to trying new things, I kept up the old habit of taking a book or two everywhere I go. And this month I read a rather dizzying array of genres.

So let's get started.

Your Turn to Die by Sue Wallman

I started reading this book with great expectations for a teen-led ghost story murder mystery. And while the beginning seemed suitably creepy and the mystery intriguing, it felt very derailed soon after.

While appropriately spooky in places, the mysterious feeling that started the novel soon gave way to unresolved teenage issues and juvenile interactions. Sure, the characters are 15, but it still felt a little young. Not to mention, everything that happened, including just regular interactions and supposed hints regarding the mystery felt out of place and strange. There was a good amount of build-up in both the ghost/murder story and the character's main arc, but nothing seemed to come of it, and what did felt unrelated.

There also wasn't much in the way of character growth, which was unfortunate, since the plot was too unresolved to properly carry the story forward. I wanted more parallels between the current characters and the murder mystery ones, but when the few that were there finally showed up, it felt too little too late.

The ending came fast and unexpected, but not in a good way. The build-up to the reveal was so obscure and scattered that the ending, while completely blindsiding, also made no sense.

The writing style was mediocre and the story unsatisfying, so do with that what you will. (But also don't, it wasn't good).

Ravensong by TJ Klune

I want sure what to expect from a Wolfsong sequel, but knowing TJ Klune's work, I knew it would be heartbreaking in the best way. And it was.

Ravensong tackles a lot of the darker pieces of the Bennet past and present, viewed through the wider lense of Gordo, who grew up surrounded by magic. And with his tragic past so deeply entwined with the bennet pack, its a wonder the book manages ro have any moments of happiness. But it does, because TJ Klune is a masterful writer and only slightly a monster. Tangled in a mess of longing and humor, Ravensong faces the issues of choice and how far a person would go to make sure that they will always have a choice.

Because it is a sequel to a book I already reviewed, I'm not going to get into the plot because so much of it hinges on the events of the previous novel, Wolfsong. BUT, know that both novels are incredible.

Gordo is a cynical voice, and he hurts so much that the reader can't help but hurt with him. He fights with himself, his past, and with Mark Bennet so much that it almost seems impossible to find his way past that. Gordo has trust issues a mile wide, and with twists and turns you won't expect, Ravensong follows Wolfsong with a bang, setting us up for the long road ahead with the knowledge that the Bennet pack will always fight to protect their own, no matter what choices they have to make along the way.

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

This was one of those books that I've been trying to get ahold of for almost a year. I hadn't had much luck finding it anywhere for anything less than $17 when I struck gold at a small bookshop in Solvang. I think you should always come home from a trip with at least two more books than you left with.

I'll be completely honest, this book was an angsty delight to read. Monty, the main character, would have made Oscar Wilde proud with all of his debauchery and reckless flirting. He's a mess and, I'll be honest, I kind of hated him in the beginning. But he grew on me, and despite the fact that I much preferred his sister, Felicity, and his best friend/longtime secret love, Percy, Monty finished the story a better person and in my good graces. Monty's tense relationship with his father also crafted a fantastic growth arc for Monty, and it humanized him a lot.

GGVV is essentially two stories. One, a queer, multiracial friends to lovers story with mutual pining and mutual belief that it is unrequited. The other is a European puzzle hunt filled with secret tombs, highwaymen, pirates, and the chemically unstable cure to all ills. And the two are beautifully crafted together, for prime simultaneous worrying over Monty fucking things up with Percy and fucking things up with an inter-political medical hunt. Truly, never a dull moment.

The author is a historian, and while things in fiction (especially historical fiction) always take on a degree of suspension of disbelief, this one felt like it was at least somewhat plausible. Lee did her research, and for that I commend her.

There was also a great deal of representation in this book, as well as a peek at the way race and illness are handled and viewed in collusion with status. I won't go too into detail with that since I think the book can speak for itself, but I was pleased with how, even viewing the story through the eyes of an ignorant, wealthy, white boy, the nuances of race that escaped him could have easily reached the readers.

Overall, this was a fantastic read and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction and YA gay romance.

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

This book wasn't at all what I was expecting. Its marketed as 'The cynical daughter of a wedding planner meets a serial dater who seems convinced that they belong together." In reality, it's a lot more actual teen trauma and the exploration of what love with only a happy beginning looks like, rather than the Hallmark sounding synopsis makes it seem.

Louna, the heroine, knows what love is like, thanks to her mother's successful wedding planning business and her own beautiful, epic love story worthy romance with Ethan, even if it ended tragically more than a year ago. Now, she's just trying to survive the summer wedding season, something that now seems impossible when the brother of a bride and insatiable flirt, Ambrose, is hired on to keep him out of trouble. Ambrose and Louna are opposites, and before long they decide to bet on what can be perceived as their main difference: Louna has to date as many boys as possible, while Ambrose must commit to one for seven weeks. However, what this experiment shows about themselves and their relationship with each other might be enough to combat even Louna's most cynical moments.

The main character of this book does what she thinks is best in regards to her love life and her past, and never once did I disagree with her logic. Her backstory and heartbreak are beautifully woven into this story of Louna's last summer working for her mother. Ambrose is introduced as Ridiculous, and, I'll be honest, I was convinced I'd never like him. But, just like Louna, I was surprised at how much substance was beneath his bravado.

Her relationship with her mother and William is fabulous as well, a young adult coming into her own, while recognizing that Louna is as mature as the adults around her without losing her youth. You root for all of them and witness the love in her tiny family unit.

The book looks at a lot of weddings and relationships as a whole, which is fascinating, taking the fantasy out of the reality that is marriage. Because Louna sees everything behind the scenes, we get to see the curtain come down in the midst of following this main love story, and that dichotomy makes it seem even more real.

It sidesteps a lot of the tropes YA novels falls into, while also hanging onto the familiar in its own way. There are never girls pit against each other over a boy, and Louna's best friend, Jilly remains her best friend through all of Louna's struggles, her understanding of Louna's trauma taken into consideration with her attempts to help Louna process and move on.

The boys Louna dates all have some sort of hilarious mansplaining trait that makes up their personality, which is something girls reading it can certainly appreciate. I laughed a lot about dramatic man-pain and alien theories, and that all added to how Ambrose was portrayed. While Ambrose was a flirt, he knew how to pay attention to a girl in the way that made her feel good. A lot of the other boys in the story became comparisons I didn't even realize were being made, which served to make Ambrose both less ridiculous and more quirky than just outright unlikable.

This love story was a real slow burn, taking until the very last moment to crescendo into something great. A rocky beginning, but a solid middle, and maybe that's something that gives us all hope for a positive ending.

Check Please! #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu

If you haven't heard of this graphic novel by this point, please note that I will be directing you straight to the entire story, which is available for free online (click here) and is a must read for anyone who's even remotely interested in baking, hockey, or a compelling coming out, mlm love story. Or even if you don't like any of those things, read it anyways, because this story will change your mind.

The physical copy follows Eric "Bitty" Bittle through his first two years at Samwell University in Massachusetts. Originally from Georgia, this former figure skater and baking vlogger extraordinaire is just trying to survive the wild world of college NCAA hockey. The story features a wide variety of characters, all with fun hockey names and a different take on the hazardous field of athletics, whether it's regarding mental illness, physical fears, or the rampant homophobia and toxic masculinity that tends to dominate the sports world. This comic explores all of that in a way that is both heartbreaking and hilarious.

The online comic goes beyond that, updating as Bitty's senior year starts, so don't worry, you've got time to catch up before the next issue goes to print.

In addition to the comic, the physical copy comes with a few bonus comics and several pages of Bitty's tweets from his first two years. All of that content is also available online, so while it would probably be super great if you bought the book, you can also read everything for free on the internet.

And, honestly, you really should. Check Please! explores college athletics in a way I've never encountered before. There's the silly antics, yeah, but we also get an in depth exploration of what anxiety looks like, of what healthy male friendships have the potential to be when they're allowed to flourish outside of the concept of socially constructed masculinity. There's so much character growth in this book, I almost can't handle it.

The drama! The hair dos! The pie! You won't regret letting Check Please! into your life, I promise.

The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson

I really appreciated all the literary references in this novel, especially in regards to Shakespeare's The Tempest, which is my favorite Shakespeare play.

The story begins with the exploration of the main character, Miranda, and her relationship with her adventurous uncle, Billy. A clever traveler, Billy took Miranda on extravagant scavenger hunts, so that the basis of their adventures always come around to uncovering something. After the deterioration of Billy and Miranda's mother's friendship, the novel jumps almost two decades, where Miranda, now a fully grown woman and history teacher, receives a book in the mail, a copy of her namesake, The Tempest, and the news of her uncle's death. Billy's bookstory, Prospero Books, is left in her care, along with a new puzzle that will shift the way she sees both herself and her family.

This was a mystery/scavenger hunt that I personally solved about halfway through the story, but it was fun to watch Miranda find all the clues and unravel the mystery for herself, to see the emotional upheaval it had on her life and her identity.

Clever and beautifully written, Miranda's observations of the people around her were almost as fascinating as the scavenger hunt she went on, a discovery of truth both for the reader in understanding Miranda and for Miranda's own history.

Filled with references and questions of what's really important to you, this book also tackles the decline of the fantasy in favor of the potential of reality. Sometimes the things we think we understand as children, the people we think our parents are in regards to who they've become to us, aren't the broader reality. Sometimes our understanding is just that; ours.

A complicated look at family dynamics and choice, The Bookshop of Yesterdays would fit well on any booklover or treasure hunter's shelf.

As September winds to a close, bringing with it the promise of a pseudo California fall and a time of transition, let's keep trying new things. And find a few new books to bring along the way.

Keep writing, friends.

Sam

Literary recommendation: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Movie recommendation: To All The Boys I've Loved Before, dir. Susan Johnson (2018)

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