#taglinemode

[dracereads]

Born A Crime, Stories from a South African Childhood | Trevor Noah | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis: Trevor Noah is a boy of mixed heritage born during the end of South Africa's Apartheid. In this memoir, he recounts tales of navigating racism and social identity with his very unique situation. Being born of a white man and a black woman, his life was proof that a serious crime had been committed under Apartheid's ruthless law.

My thoughts: I was introduced to Trevor Noah, like a majority of his American audience, shortly before his take over of the Daily Show. I had never really been a big fan of the Daily show in the past, but it was one of those things that I added to my weekly media diet after Trevor. Trevor Noah is a charming, ruefully goofy comic who's tactful wit and natural charisma never cease to get a smile or a chuckle out of me.

If you've seen some of his stand-up specials, some of these stories will come as no surprise to you. There are familiar tales of his dog Fufi, and of his mother being shot. If you have never heard of Trever Noah before this, you are in for some of the wildest tales of your life.

This is not my first time reading Born A Crime, however, I felt it was worth revisiting now that I own it for myself instead of borrowing it from a friend.

[dracereads]

Dark Rise | C.S. Pacat | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pacat's new tagline is "books about bisexual disasters by a bisexual disaster" and I'm absolutely living for that statement, FYI.

Synopsis: Victorian, London. In a time before recorded history, an ancient evil was sealed away by the final bastion of good. Now in modern times, the evil threatens to rise again and destroy all. What roles do our heroes play in this tale? Are they doomed to repeat their pasts, or will a new happiness emerge as roles begin to change.

Thoughts: I absolutely took way too long to read this book. I took an equally long time trying to write a review about it. It has an INCREDIBLY slow fucking start, but it's not bad if you can muddle through that first action sequence. Anyway, I would say that it possesses the same sort of messy disaster of malformed relationships and dynamics that Pacat is known for, but at the same time they have always handled with extreme dexterity + grace which is... immaculate. I trust that Pacat is going to make mince meat of her main characters and their emotions by the end of this series. Also... there is a stabbing scene, and well. If you know, you know. And it's just an absolute french kiss of allegory. It's one of the things I've always appreciated in a Pacat book.

[dracereads]

Cemetery Boys | Aiden Thomas | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

-- One of My Picks for the Book of the Year for 2021

Happy Belated day of the dead! Unfortunately on the real day of the dead, I was slaving away at work. I did leave a couple shots of good bourbon and a candle out for my ancestors, though!

Synopsis: Born to a conservative Latine family, Yadriel is determined to prove himself capable as a real brujo. However, throw in the unlikely ghost of Julien, a troubled youth from Yadriel's school into the mix, and otherworldly drama and hi-jinks ensue. This captivating tale weaves together traditional Latin folklore with an artistically modern coming of age story.

My thoughts: This book made me laugh, it made me gasp aloud, and it made me cry. The story is well written, well paced, and luxuriously decadent. Sometimes you hate to plug a tiktok well-loved, but this one really is deserving of the hype.

Artistic Comment: I really like how this photo turned out! I hope you all enjoy it as well.

[dracereads]

Terry Pratchett's Equal Rites ★★★★☆

I want to start off by saying I think the idea of Equal Rites came to Terry when he was writing a paragraph somewhere in the Color of Magic. I think there was a point in time where he was adamant that women could never be wizards. So then Equal Rites came along to say this: yes women can do magic and those are traditionally witches, but our main character of this novel is female and is a wizard. Which is supposed to break the world but it doesn't. So you'll have to deal with it. This book is the first introduction to Discworld's amazing witches, namely Granny Weatherwax. This book is arguably more about Weatherwax than Eskarina. Though you do get a lot of development of Eskarina.

This book gets 4.5 stars because:

It features an old lady protagonist doing very much old lady things, thank you very much. It's the first instance in which Terry Pratchett establishes a discworld rule, only to break it swiftly afterwards. And of couse since it's in relation to the breaking of the universe, it had to be the Unseen University at the center of it. It passes the vibe check. Overall, this novel is a romp start to finish.

[dracereads]

Heartstopper V1 | Alice Oseman | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a birthday gift from one of my IRL friends. I have never read Heartstopper before, and this is my first experience with it! synopsis: Charlie and Nick sit next to each other during a new semester at school, and Charlie convinces Nick to join the Rugby team. Shenanigans ensue!

my thoughts: what a lovely little comic! It was easy to follow, and the characters are so cute. I thought it was going to be a lot more complex that it was, and I am so sorry that I have been putting it off for as long as I have. Honestly, I can see why it's so popular now, LOL. I'll try to acquire more volumes soon to continue this little story. and I am so fucking sorry that it took me like 3 months to read babe

[dracereads]

Crying in H Mart | Michelle Zauner (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

One piping hot evening spent balling your eyes out through Michelle Zauner's heartbreaking recollection over the loss of her mother. Check. Synopsis: Michelle Zauner is a half-Korean half-American woman who experienced the heartbreaking tragedy of losing her mother to cancer. The whole book revolves around her sharing anecdotes of her family, trying to piece together the strings of culture and her place in it. By the way, this is nonfiction! So this is as true to life as you can write in a self-recollection. My thoughts: I have picked up and put down Crying in H Mart about a dozen times in the past years. I would read a couple chapters, cry, and set it down resolved to finish it later. Today, my brain was craving deep rooted sadness and decided to plow my way through the last absolutely emotional pain filled chapters. If you are in the mood for an emotional curbstomping, Zauner's work is both prosaic and sobering.

5 stars: I absolutely love the mix of Zauner's imagery and her recollections. You can really tell there is an earnest-wistfulness to this memoir that's just. French kiss.

[dracereads]

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

Hello and Welcome to Drace forgets to blog about things they read because they have too many brain bees vol 3 or 4 at this point who knows. Today's edition is all about A Lady for A Duke by Alexis hall. Another of Alexis' regency works, this one more serious and less jaunty than Something Fabulous. The main character Viola, is a transwoman in a time where we wouldn't ordinarily see a trans protagonist. What's more is that the book is not focused on Viola's womanhood as the source of contention for the novel. At all. This reads as sort of a queer fantasy where everyone is accepting of Viola's truest self. It's a very sort of self-indulgent and happy fantasy that I can get behind. Alexis Hall poses the question of whether or not this sort of thing is something trans folks would like to see more of. Arguably this trans folk would very much approve of more of this story and others. Anyway, the main story revolves around Viola falling in love with her best friend since childhood, Justin de Vere, Duke of Gracewood. Gracewood has suffered a physical injury and is dealing with war-related PTSD. Like I said, this novel is a more "serious" regency, and the two have to work through years of trauma before they are able to find comfort in the new happiness they bring one another. It was a very touching and lovely book, and I highly enjoyed it. There's lots of positive affirmation and character growth in this piece. The characters aren't set on being horrible people, and I just really appreciate a regency where characters actually learn from their mistakes instead of droning on about them for about 17 chapters before they do a little bit of soul-searching and move on. Rating: 5/5 stars, if just for the concept alone.

[dracereads]

Manga Break Time

Way of the Househusband v.1 | Kousuke Oono | ★★★★

Synopsis: A gag-series about a former Mafia boss Tatsu, on his quest to succeed in his new life as a househusband. This manga pits some really strong criminal element imagery against some super... domestic scenarios for comedic effect.

Opinions: This series is all about using strong visuals and situations to tell a dynamic story about Tatsu's new life as a househusband. It's not supposed to be deep or thought provoking, but. it is very nicely illustrated and it's. such a contrast between the scenario and the visual representation that's going along with it that it's absolutely hysterical.

Sometimes it's nice to take a break from my breakneck reading schedule and squeeze in something just to make me laugh.