kanga @kanga@abolition.online

Does the printed book have extras? Like a map or glossary or list of characters or anything? It felt like a book that would, but one of the frustrating things about getting audiobooks from the library is that I never know if such things exist, much less get access to them.

📖The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (fantasy) listened on Libby. I think if I read this when not on vacation (aka while trying to do all sorts of other things) it would go into the pile of "ADHD ruined this book for me" reads, but thank goodness for time off, because I loved this book. It felt unconventional in terms of plot (understated) and also my normal book choices (usually some romance) but the pining feeling I love was there, just a pining for comfort and friendship and security.

📖 Miss Meteor by Anna-Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejia (YA, fantasy, queer pairings) listened on Libby. This book is so sweet! I want all my young friends to read it. It has the classic bullying tropes but they're dealt with so well. The world feels both solidly real and totally out of this one. Kyla Garcia and Almarie Guerra do a wonderful job on the narration.

I'm grateful for all the short stories between the books, both because I wanted more content and because I just like getting a chance to slow down and hang out with characters I like. I think I especially liked Interlude with Tattoos.

📖 A Flight of Magpies by KJ Charles (m/m, fantasy, romance, mystery) read with my eyes on Hoopla. I think this one was my favorite of the trio. I like getting more Merrick and Saint and the ending is very satisfying.

📖 A Case of Possession by KJ Charles (m/m, fantasy, romance, mystery) read with my eyes on Hoopla. The rats were so creepy! I want more of these books (backstory on the MCs and backstory on the side characters (Saint, Merrick, and the Golds particularly)). I liked the sex in this one the best of the trio.

📖 The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles (m/m, fantasy, romance, mystery), read with my eyes on Hoopla. I was sad this book is so short, then glad there are sequels. It felt like it went by in a flash.

📖 How to be a Girl by Marlo Mack [ARC] (memoir, trans), read ARC from NetGalley with my eyes. I’ve been following the podcast of this book for a long time and was excited for the opportunity to read the book. I’ll definitely be recommending it to some straight family of young trans kids I know. I was frustrated by the early use of he/him pronouns for the daughter early in the book and glad the book didn’t use a deadname.

It feels somewhere between Cameron Post, Passing Playbook, She Drives Me Crazy, and maybe Far from Xanadu (I haven’t read that since hs but it sounds right). Not Like Other Girls plays interestingly with LC Rosen’s Camp as a meditation on masculinity in queer youth.

📖 Not Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin (f/f, YA) listened on Libby. I know nothing about football, but it was a great plot device here, as was Jupiter. This is solidly in a genre of book I read a lot of in high school- queer high schooler with a not-super-accepting family, bullying, and a hopeful ending. And this is a wonderful example of the genre!

📖 Subtle Blood by KJ Charles (m/m, mystery, romance) read with my eyes on Libby. Finally!! I was going to wait for the audio to come out but I just couldn’t. And this was so good. It’s lovely to watch Will’s and Kim’s feelings deepen- “A future. You know the concept?”- and the mystery held me effectively.

📖 She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan (nb/f, historical fantasy) listened on Libby. This book is sticking with me and I can’t wait for the sequel. The character development balanced well with the plot. Natalie Naudus did a wonderful job on the audio.

📖 Scapegracers by Hannah Abagail Clarke (sapphic, YA, fantasy) ready with my eyes on Libby. Queer witches! Finding community after feeling really alone! Hexes on asshole boys! I wish we’d gotten a bit more recent past on Sideways, and the book ends right as it ramps up. But overall I definitely enjoyed it.

📖 Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (m/f, romance) listened on Libby. I mostly really liked this! Is the key to me liking straight romance having people of color and people with disabilities? Maybe. Chloe felt more compelling as a character than Red, but he wasn’t bad. The sex scenes were hot (but basically entirely centered on Chloe’s pleasure which was weird to me). Also, Andoh Adjoa narrated the audiobook with so much skill and finesse.

Oaths of Empire by Emily Skrutskie (m/m, scifi), listened on Libby. I really enjoyed the combination of strategy/putting on a show with angst/showing true emotions- I found it believable and also very satisfying. There's less pining than book 1, but I was really glad to get Gal's POV. I finished Bonds of Brass and started this IMMEDIATELY, and it's truly cruel that I have to wait 6 months to read book 3.

Also, props to narrator James Fouhey Jr., this book is really excellently narrated.

Favorite scene: only one bed + I would forfeit my soul for him + angst

Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie (m/m, scifi), listened on Libby. This book pulled me in VERY effectively. I was basically nonfunctional until I finished it. The pining/romance is great, as are the spaceships and worldbuilding, Wen and her umbrella, and "we can't be together because REASONS". The ending was masterful, a cliffhanger while also not being too cliffhanger-y. It felt like an ending but not THE ending, and I needed to know what happened next but I wasn't feeling manipulated into it.

📖 Pansies by @quicunquevult (m/m, romance) listened on Hoopla. This is one of my favorite kinds of book. Flawed queers being clueless about their feelings for each other, slowly getting less clueless. Ideal.

📖 Would I lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh (m/f, romance) listened on Hoopla. I kept seeing this on my timeline and "the lady isn't really a lady" sounded queer. It was not. I particularly didn't like the repeated use of variations of the word "lapping" in sex/kissing scenes.