I feel like I’ve said this before, but since 2012, I have been setting a Goodreads reading challenge for myself every year. In the past few years, I’ve gotten pretty close, but the only year that I’ve completed said challenge so far was 2018.
However, this year, I was determined to do the same.
At the end of last year, I went through and tried to pick out a list of books to read because if I was left to just select books at random, I don’t think I would have actually finished this challenge. (I’m easily overwhelmed when I have too much to choose from and my want-to-read list is about 500 strong.) So I picked a theme which was books with LGBTQ+ characters.
I didn’t start off the year reading books that followed that theme, but I made sure to finish up the year doing so. I set my goal for thirty books and thirty books I did read.
If you’d like to check out my reading journey for the year as well as some of my thoughts about those books, please keep reading below. (Separated into two parts so this post wasn’t so long.)
1. The Lunar Chronicles: Marissa Meyer - including the companion novel Stars Above and the first of the graphic novels Wires & Nerves [not LGBTQ]
Absolutely adore this series! I’ve read it multiple times, but this was the first time I’d read any of the companion novels. Set 300 years in the future, you’ve got Cinder who’s 60% cyborg, 40% human who catches the eye of the crown prince, Kai, when she fixes his android, but Kai ends up engaged to the queen of the moon who is hell-bent on taking over Earth. Cinder and her friends have to step up to save everyone . . . For anyone who likes fairytales with a twist, this is a series for you. 100% would recommend.
2. Running With Lions: Julian Winters
This was a story about a friendship “rekindled” that turns into something more. It was a cute and enjoyable standalone, and I’m interested in reading more of Winters’s work. Would recommend.
3. My Best Friend, Maybe: Caela Carter
I remember reading the blurb for this and wholeheartedly wanting to read it, but I read it and was let down. It was in the LGBT category because it has an LGBT character, but it’s not really an LGBT read. Would not recommend.
4. Hotter Than Ever: Elle Kennedy
I’m not sure how I came across this book, but it fit with the theme of the year with a M/M/F coupling. Might fall under the heading of porn without plot(?), but not a bad read. Kinda heartwarming at points, corny at others. (Smut dialogue can sometimes be the worst, imo.)
5. All for the Game: Nora Sakavic
6. We Contain Multitudes: Sarah Henstra
I definitely bought this book because of the cover. A different format. The two protagonists write letters back and forth to each other when they’re partnered on a school project. I never could find the right words to summarize my feelings about WCM, but it’s something I would reread which means I would recommend.
7. Red, White, and Royal Blue: Casey McQuiston
8. What If It’s Us: Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Cutesy read, but I didn’t care for the character Ben (I found him too spunky and just kind of all-around annoying) which didn’t ruin the book for me, but it didn’t do it any favors. Won’t personally recommend but won’t not recommend either.
9. Words on the Bathroom Walls: Julia Walton [not LGBTQ]
The main character has schizophrenia and is starting a new school on a new medical regimen. He’s just trying to live as normal of a life as possible, have friends and date a pretty girl but complications with his medicine mean weaning off it and letting going of the normalcy that came with it.
Our Teen Advisory Board members picked their favorite books/movies/CDS of 2016 and if they were looking forward to anything coming out (that they knew of) in 2017!
The gymnasts gathered at the opening to the arena. From a distance they looked like a mass of perfectly pressed red, blue, and bright white warm-ups; cheerful hair ribbons; precise makeup; and genuine smiles. But the mood was somber.
Challenge #29 ~ “A book where the author has the same first and last initial as you.”
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
My opinion in three sentences:
Tumbling was very much a mixed bag, in that whilst I enjoyed it overall, I think Carter tried to do too much in one novel, meaning impact was very much lost along the way. Furthermore, and I’m no hardcore gymnastics fan, there were quite a few obvious inaccuracies along the way (in simple things such as which way a move faces) and several inconsistencies in her own choices that lowered the book’s standard, too. Nevertheless, it’s certainly a readable novel and one that will very much get you in the Olympic mood.
(Without spoiling anything) the best bit:
The structuring of the book was definitely its strength. Using sections to divide the story by rotation across the two-day trials event really aided in building the suspense and mystery over team selections, much as in reality. Sure, the ending was just a bit too contrived my liking, but it certainly wasn’t predictable and it definitely contributed much to the overall momentum throughout, as well as assisting in shaping the overall atmosphere and world-building.
A warning for the book:
Carter tries to do a lot in this book and doesn’t quite carry it off. With five POVs, it’s essential to establish their distinct characters, but unfortunately instead they quickly blend into one, making it difficult to relate or remember who’s who. Their main defining traits seem to be the Major Problem they’re all having to deal with, but with such diversity in this regard, there’s not enough scope to really address any of the themes and their implications that arise, adding to the lacklustre delivery. I laud Carter’s ambition, but I think the novel would have been stronger if it were dialled back slightly, offering greater insight into a select few, unique characters.
Recommended for fans of:
- Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli
- Breath Like Water by Anna Jarzab
- Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton
