#m-m

[touhouweed]

[interludepress]

Get a SWEET Deal this Valentine’s week!

Alone and lonely since the death of his partner, a West Village pastry chef gradually reclaims his life through an unconventional courtship with an unfulfilled accountant that involves magical food, online flirtation, and a dog named Andy. Sweet is also the story of how we tell love stories. The narrator is on to you, Reader, and wants to give you a love story that doesn’t always fit the bill.

This week, get an ebook edition of Alysia Constantine’s SWEET for only 99 cents at online retailers!

Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

[queerbookreview]

Geography Club by: Brent Hartinger

4 out of 5 stars

I knew that any wrong action, however slight, could reveal my true identity... Russel is still going on dates with girls. Kevin would do anything to prevent his teammates on the baseball team from finding out. Min and Terese tell everyone they're really just good friends. But after a while, the truth's too hard to hide - at least from each other - so they form the "Geography Club." Nobody else will come. Why would they want to? Their secret should be safe.

If you’re looking for something fun, a bit cheesy, and light-hearted with a bit of angsty realism, Geography Club is for you.

The book is set in a pretty average high school setting, starring a pretty average high school guy named Russel. He’s not very popular but neither is he an outcast. He has two close friends but even with them he doesn’t share his biggest secret: he’s gay. Instead, he turns to gay chatrooms where he meets a guy he likes enough to meet in real life, only to find out that guy is the popular baseball star from his school, Kevin.

This of course means drama.

While the novel displays some of the usual angst of a closeted gay teen, it also shows how support can come from unexpected places. Russel’s friend Min turns out to be bisexual and dating a girl on the soccer team. The school outcast, bullied relentlessly by the jocks, turns out to be just as gay as Russel. In the beginning, he thought he was the only non-straight teen at his high school but as Russel begins to explore and accept his sexuality throughout the story, he realizes that there’s just no way that’s possible.

By creating the “Geography Club”, this group of queer teens manages to find a creative and safe way to share their own experiences with each other and support each other when they feel like they’re all alone. It’s such a nice portrayal of queer people helping other queer people in a time of discover and introspection. 

Yes, the novel is a bit cheesy, and yes, the writing is nowhere near fancy but it’s an easy, relatable read with fun characters and a happy ending about individualism and being proud of who you are.

I believe that Geography Club is a great novel for younger audiences, especially those who are just discovering their preferences for themselves. It’s a great reminder that we’re never alone and you can find support somewhere, even when you think it doesn’t exist.

[magnusandalec]

Books I've read, want to read, or recommend.

It’s only taken me forever, but I’ve finally started to make that book rec. list I said I would do.

I’m going through all the books I’ve read (on my Goodreads account) and listing the good [M-M/LGBT specific] ones.

I’m tired now, so I’m off to bed soon, but if you want to follow that account now, you can go right ahead. Once I’ve got the list complete (to date, at least) I’ll be sure to let you guys know.

I’ve read so many good M-M books this past year. :)

[drawforthemac]

back-to-indentation

M-m

“Move point to the first non-whitespace character on this line.“

Jumps, not to the start of the line, but to the start of the line after indentation

    wish you were |here     |wish you were here

[neverhollowed]

Noticed Me Yet? - Anita Sunday

Jacob’s in a pickle. He needs a new flatmate, and soon. And what better way to advertise than on the noticeboards around campus? Trouble is, someone is taking down his ads. Jacob writes to the offending thief, little expecting to be answered—and soon he finds himself in a deeper pickle: who is this Mr. X that he keeps writing to? And how can Jacob be falling for him? I was excited for this book but it didn’t really live up to my expectations. The notes exchange itself was long and boring so I ended skimming those parts but I was glad the guy I was rooting for turned out to be Mr. X. Fluffy and sweet is my thing so I would recommend this if you like that too.

Rating: 3 Stars - not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it

(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28423328-noticed-me-yet)

[neverhollowed]

Kria: Prisoner - Megan Derr

A man whom all men fear... General Dieter von Adolwulf has led the Scarlet Army of Kria to victory for the past decade, holding the infamous field known as the Regenbogen against Kria's hated enemies—the deceptive Illussor and the ruthless Salharans. War has waged between the three nations for longer than anyone can remember, but no one has held the Regenbogen as well as the notorious Wolf of Kria and his fearsome army. A man who fears nothing... Returning home at the end of the year, the Scarlet Army is attacked in the dead of night by a single man who manages to kill hundreds before he is finally captured. A Salharan soldier with no name, no purpose but to kill, he refuses to bend to the Wolf who takes him prisoner and forces upon him a despicable Krian name. A man with nothing to lose... When the rest of his army is slaughtered by Illussor soldiers desperately seeking his prisoner, Dieter determines to hold fast—both for answers and in revenge for the men he lost. But answers and revenge are hard to come by when surrounded by secrets and treachery, and the man least likely to kill him is the prisoner who most wants him dead.

I started reading the first few chapter but I couldn’t go on. I got lost and couldn’t figure out what was what so this book lingered on my shelf for months. Then I found the audiobook on Youtube and loved the narrator’s voice. Sean Crisden’s voices for most of the main characters were perfect. I think only Iah’s voice was off since he sounded like an old man. 

This is one of the best enemies to lovers stories I have read. I live for Beraht and Dieter. I could listen to them bicker all day. Sol and Iah was kind of meh for me but I like them nonetheless. The female characters are not annoying so yay! Kalan deserves his own story.

The world and the magic of the three countries were equally fascinating. Each country has their own well-defined culture and language. I love the name of the Krian generals (Scarlet, Cobalt, Verdant, Saffron), the curses each nationality  use but I wanted to see Illusor magic. Illusor was probably the less defined of the three.

This is probably a 4.5 stars but I would go ahead and give it a perfect score since I really enjoyed the book and I like the cover art.

Rating:  5 Stars - absolutely perfect  

(source: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11116507-prisoner)