simonlorden's reviews
1297 reviews

Surprisingly hard to read, with many literary parallels and big words. But a very interesting exploration of queer identity and a complicated father-daughter relationship.

Really cute, nerdy, humorous fake dating story. It starts out as "theatre vs gamers", but of course both sides gradually realize that there's overlap in their skills and interests. The D&D scenes were really fun, especially Riley and her friend playing bards. I would have liked to see a gamer girl who wasn't Sophia, but hey.

I also liked the non-romantic storylines, there's some great friendships, supporting the arts, and also an interesting family dynamic with Riley and her divorced parents. The arc between Riley and her Dad was really nice.

Very cute and funny series of photos, made me smile.

A short but important picture book about a trans girl and her dysphoria. After Nisha gets people to use her new name and call her a girl, she gets much more confident and happier, and she's finally able to participate in activities that caused her anxiety before.

It's also important to mention that there's nothing about giving kids surgery or hormones in the book, which is something a lot of conservatives are worried about (and which is sadly a common theme in the government's messaging in my country). At Nisha's age, social transition simply means using the right name and pronouns, letting her wear different clothes, and letting her play with the girls in class.

A very interesting overview of censoring books from the 1300s to today. The reasons for the bans are most commonly sex or religion, which wasn't surprising, but it's depressing that it still happens to this day. What is really sad to me is also that several of these books are memoirs, so they're not fictional, but the very experiences of the authors being banned. 

A lot of the authors are also exiled from their countries and cannot return, either officially or because they fear violence. And yet we cannot blame whatever religion or geography for these bans when they happen even in the country of free speech, as well as in my own country.

The Hungarian edition I read actually has an essay at the end which talks about book censorship in Hungary's history, as well as the new, currently in force regulation that requires books with LGBT topics to be sold wrapped in foil, and bans them from being solved within a certain distance of schools or churches.

 

Azt hiszem lassan ideje lenne valami vidámat olvasni. Ebben a könyvben nem nagyon történik semmi, csak végig verik a kislányt. Reméltem, hogy a sok nevelőcsalád közül az egyiknél végre jó helye lesz, de nem. Egyébként az írásmód nagyon érdekes, régies, de azon belül is egyedinek tűnik. 

The "problem" with historical witch books is that I love them but they make me depressed. People can be horrible.

Honestly this book is very much my Thing, but it still found me in a bad mood a bit, so all of the women in it being raped or abused was a bit much for me. I don't usually have a problem with those kind of stories, but I think I might be too full of them lately.

A romance with magic, weddings, fashion, and queer main characters. I love bi4bi M/F couples okay.

A story of two Chinese girls, their friendships, and a love that is never acted upon. I liked it, but the most charming parts for me were the cultural differences - like needing an entry permit to visit some of the biggest towns, or the girls at the dorm putting their mosquito nets on their beds instead of the windows.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Adelaide and Victoria are mirror twins, each other's reflection. Adelaide is introverted, content to stay at home forever and play in the garden. Victoria longs for society, to be admired and noticed. And yet it's Adelaide who is chosen by a Lord who is moving to America, and Victoria is the one who tags along as the unmarried sister, insignificant.

Unfortunately, I didn't much like this book. In the first half of the book, Adelaide was so boring she made me want to cry. Yes, I get that she's shy and nervous, but there's nothing interesting in a character who stares numbly at people who speak to her. The second half was more interesting in a way, but very depressing - I'm not a big fan of asylum scenes.

The only part I really liked was the ending. The twist was kind of expected, but I felt it was wrapped up nicely. Wiffy is also a great character, I liked how she was truly Adelaide's friend and supported her in this world of men.