ladybird4prez's reviews
130 reviews

All Hail the Underdogs by E.L. Massey

This was cute, but I had forgotten the details of the book description by the time it came off hold at my library and I just dove right in. So, I was very thrown off when it was mentioned they were still in high school. This fact only became more surprising considering the responsibilities they took on later. These are actual babies doing all this? I get why they wanted to, but I don’t know if it’s all that realistic. Also, it’s extremely light on the hockey. In fact, Maura’s signature Habs hat may be the most consistent hockey we get. The pacing and development felt a bit off at the beginning but I thought it started improving, only for the latter half to delve into everything I thought was unrealistic for teenagers. Also felt like maybe some aspects and characters were underdeveloped, but I think I felt that way about the first book in the series too. 
I guess I’m never beating the heartless allegations but I swear it was cute! I kept picking it up! I just don’t know how I feel about it altogether.

The War Poems by Siegfried Sassoon

dark emotional reflective

5.0

Raw, poignant, incisive, mournful, and unrelenting, Sassoon details his time in the war (and the haunting aftereffects) through this collection of piercing poems.

The Loom of Youth by Alec Waugh

informative reflective slow-paced

A semi-autobiographical story/account of the English Public School system that could only be written by someone simultaneously nostalgic for his time at the school and bemoaning the disillusionment with the system experienced near the end of his time there. The sheer level of detail seems to be shaped by Waugh’s nostalgia. It’s so detailed, in fact, that it reaches the point of monotony, especially when it comes to the recounts of all the sporting matches. This makes for a bit of a slow read, but again, I get the sense that this amount of detail only comes from a place of sentimentality. The characters are also all overly concerned with sports, which may explain its heavy focus, as well. 

The accounts of daily life are interspersed with explicit critiques of the school system, and it’s interesting to see these alongside each other. Considering this was written before Waugh entered the army, all the mixed feelings make sense. Nostalgic for “simpler” times while reflecting on all the failings of the school’s culture and the school system, itself. Lamenting the time lost focusing on inconsequential schoolwork, pranks, sports, house loyalties, etc., now to be sent to the trenches. Reckoning with the system meant to set you up to be a successful adult, and “coming of age” at a time when it’s more likely that you’ll never even reach adulthood.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

I don’t think I would’ve picked this up on my own, but I read this for a book club, and I feel like maybe I’m heartless for not loving this? The children are certainly endearing and it’s sweet, but I kept having to check if this was a children’s book. All the moral lessons lacked any subtlety and felt repetitive. It also felt like there was no faith in the readers being able to make connections ourselves, and everything had to be spelled out.

Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu

funny hopeful lighthearted

Cuteee!! I really think I liked this one a lot better than the first one. It has a more cohesive structure that allows storylines to develop over several comics instead of cutting each one off to fit into a single comic. I thought this one was funnier and I laughed out loud multiple times. Also, I’m sure already knowing the character only furthered my enjoyment. This was also longer which worked better to get to know Bitty and everyone but I didn’t know I had gotten to the last page and got sad when I realized it was over :( 

Absolutely sugary sweet but it does deal with some real issues. The difference an accepting environment and family and friends can make, what it means to put yourself out there in order to be a role model for others, and how risking everything to be your true self can end up shifting a culture. 

Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu

funny hopeful lighthearted

I wanted to read both books before I wrote a review and after reading the second, I do think this one has a bit more of a disjointed storytelling structure. This friend group is very charming but I felt the way each comic was spread out took away a lot of context and any time that could’ve been spent getting to know the characters better. The tweets at the end actually helped fill in some of the gaps though (but wow Bitty tweets way too much😭). I still don’t really know how to rate graphic novels though. 

Overall, just a really fun, cutesy, what if this super bro-y group of hockey players were really wholesome actually, little comic collection. 

Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas

This has a lot going on which, in a way, provides a feeling of authenticity but also feels cramped and unfocused at times. But this touches on several aspects of growing up queer and I think brings some unique perspectives to queer literature. I know this must be a story close to the author’s heart, and you can tell by how much nuance and complexity these characters are portrayed with.

The specific isolation that comes with trying to figure out your gender as well as your sexuality. Having a deep, all-consuming feeling that you’re queer, but appearing straight to everyone else. Maybe not even being able to parse the intricacies of your identity, especially if you have no models to help you understand yourself. The loneliness of being a queer teen and falling into weird, intense, psychosexual obsessive relationships with the only other queer people at your school. I actually wasn’t expecting this to be so dark but James Frankie Thomas fully leaned into the intensity of these relationships. I think that was what kept me so engrossed in the story. Everyone was manipulative and secretive and selfish and mean and struggling and lonely. Or maybe it was just the inherent dark energy of theatre kids (kiddinggg).

When Brooklyn Was Queer: A History by Hugh Ryan

informative reflective

Well-researched, informative, and engaging, When Brooklyn Was Queer provides a look into decades of long-forgotten and erased history of often overlooked, vibrant queer communities. It was fascinating to learn about the oscillating LGBTQ+ acceptance as impacted by wars, economic opportunities, gentrification, suburbanization, moral policing, eugenics, and our understanding of gender, sex, and sexual orientation as separate but related concepts. Through it all, queer love or “the resourcefulness of queer desire,” as Hugh Ryan puts it, persisted, despite large barriers, heavy setbacks, and attacks on the community.

Ryan does a great job of exploring the rich queer history of Brooklyn. Still, it’s frustrating to think about just how much history was lost because queer people’s experiences weren’t properly recorded, preserved, or valued. I love what he said in the epilogue though, that he looks forward “to having a future where we already have a past.”

All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews

dark emotional reflective

Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian

4.0

I’m not a mystery person at all but this was cozy and enjoyable. I would’ve loved even more romance, but Sebastian did a great job of building tension and making every little touch carry so much weight. Page and Sommers were both very charming, and I appreciated the portrayal of PTSD and how that might manifest itself in two people involved in WWII.