Month: January 2015

SPONSORED REVIEW: Danika reviews All the Devils Here by Astor Penn

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AlltheDevilsHereFS

If you’re like me, you have observed the dystopian/post-apocalyptic YA trend and thought “Yes, great, but where’s the lesbian version of this?” Don’t worry. It exists. All the Devils Here takes place after the worst has already happened. The majority of the population has been wiped out in a massive pandemic, everyone else is on the run, avoiding both the infected and the mysterious governmental (?) units roaming in vans–promising safety but delivering gunshots and kidnappings.

I thought it was interesting that the book starts here, with Brie already having been on the run for a while, and having adapted to this new reality. I would have expected to start at beginning of the outbreak, following her as she escapes New York, but instead we get this backstory summarized later. It shifts the focus from how this happened to the process of surviving. And that is what the narrative revolves around: not any specific goal or path, just the relentless determination to survive at almost any cost. Despite the genre, I didn’t actually find this a fast-paced book. It is short, but although Brie is a survivor and active in her perseverance, the plot revolves around things that happen to her and then her attempts to deal with it. Through no fault of her own, she is a passive agent with very little control over her life in this cutthroat landscape.

The arc of the story is not so much the plot as it is Brie’s understanding of how she has changed as a person in order to survive, and her relationship with Raven, who begins as an extremely reluctant ally and becomes a vital person in her life. There is a bit of an element of insta-love in this, but it’s more understandable in the context of a dystopian future where any human contact is unusual. I do wish that we got more from Raven as her own person as opposed to Brie’s perception of her, however. She permeates the novel in Brie’s fixation on her, but we don’t actually get to learn a lot about her. In fact, my biggest problem with this book is how Raven is described. She is referred to constantly by her (dark) skin color, which is once compared to mud. She is repeatedly described as a “wild thing” (when she’s not the “prettiest thing”). Brie makes a lot of assumptions about her based on her appearance, which considering that she knows pretty much nothing about her other than her skin color, seem pretty racist: she assumes that Raven is a “lost girl” with no relationship with her family, who left home too young. She contemplates whether Raven was a sex worker in her former life. There is absolutely no context as to why Brie is making these assumptions about her other than her appearance and the fact that she is alive and alone (which, of course, Brie–a pampered boarding school student–also is).

I found the governmental agency to be the most interesting element of the story. We know that they are taking people in vans against their will, and there are rumors of camps that are being set up, but we don’t know the motives of this organization. I couldn’t help but think that these people very well could have a cure and be trying to help survivors, but there would be no way to know this as a person hiding in the woods. Because of the lack of any source of media, these people in hazmat suits are a complete wild card. [vague spoilers, highlight to read] Even as we learn more about this group of people, they remain morally grey, which I thought was interesting. In some ways they are the villains of the piece, but they are also the only reason humanity has any hope of a “civilized” future. [end spoilers] 

I found All the Devils Here to be an interesting concept, but it wasn’t the fast-paced thrill ride I expect from this genre. I did like the examination of what it takes to be a survivor in situations like this, and how it affects a person’s perception of themselves, and I’m happy to have a queer addition to this genre, but I was looking for a little bit more from this in terms of plot. And I found Raven’s depiction disappointing. This was a mixed bag for me, but if you’re interesting in a survival story with a bit of lesbian romance thrown it, All the Devils Here is worth the read!

Amanda Clay reviews Make Much of Me by Kayla Bashe

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makemuchofme

You had me at “Jazz Age”.  Truly, in my mind, there is no more attractive time in human history than this fleeting moment between the Great War and the Great Depression. New York, London, Paris, Munich, this is the time to be a woman loving woman and dance about in your sparkly dresses, powdering each other’s knees and seeing if you can get an invite to Natalie Barney’s salon.  I’ll read just about anything set in this era, and am even more excited when I know from the outset that the story will be queer. Therefore I was thrilled to be given “Make Much of Me” and read it all in one gulp.

Four girls– Lily, Laura, Tommie and Jo– meet as new students at New York City’s River School.  Thrown together by chance, they quickly become an inseparable crew sharing their secrets, sadness, desires and dreams. Bisexual Tommie is ashamed of her poverty, but learns that her head, her heart, her talents and her humor are of immeasurable value. Asexual Jo comes from money and privilege, a life many would envy, but at a terrible price. Bold, lesbian Lily lets nothing stand between her and the life and love that she desires. And Laura, whose past is perhaps the most wretched of all, wants only to love herself and ends up finding so much more.

Loosely based on Christina Rosetti’s poem ‘The Goblin Market’, the story follows the girls from their meeting and early misadventures through more difficult trials to their ultimate joining of forces to rescue a friend and lover in need.  The engaging and diverse characters are fun to meet and grow more interesting as the story unfolds.  The book itself, however, is so brief (only 84 pages!) that the story seems rushed in places, especially the end, and some events wrap up with unrealistically neat solutions.

My chief complaint, unfortunately, brings me back to the Jazz Age.  I love historical fiction, and I love this time period in particular, and while it is clear that some research was done (musicians, film stars, all that kicky, kooky slang), the book could have used much more.  Multiplex cinemas, rolling suitcases, LGBT support clubs in elementary and middle schools, all of these glaring anachronisms drew me out of the narrative again and again.  Even the characters’ ease with sexual self-identification was a bit far-out, though I made peace with that for the sake of the story. Choosing to set a work in an historical era demands a certain amount of diligence, and the lack of these efforts mars what is otherwise a sparkling, sweet story.

Trigger warnings: physical abuse, drug abuse, sexual predators

Audrey reviews Teaching the Cat to Sit by Michelle Theall

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Great title, right? It’s also literal. Poor Mittens. Michelle Theall’s memoir isn’t organized linearly, but intersperses chapters from childhood with chapters from adulthood. And as a child, she really did teach the family cat to sit. She writes poignantly of the deep loneliness that caused her to try to make the cat into something it was not, and manages somehow not to beat you over the head with maternal parallels.

Her establishing shot gives you this: a partner and a son, and iPhone contact with grandparents. Good! Also, the grandparents are due to arrive soon for the son’s baptism, which has been cancelled. Due to the priest’s sudden reconsideration of baptizing the child of gay parents. Also, the grandparents don’t know this. (Note: I use the word “gay” instead of “lesbian” because that’s what Theall uses, and she expresses dislike of the label “lesbian.”)

And then you get a snapshot of the beginning. Michelle was supposed to be Matthew; she notes that this was only the beginning of disappointing her parents. You see her as a young child in the Texas Bible Belt, learning that things she liked were inappropriate, and she herself, always, was inappropriate. Not concerned enough with femininity. Not modest. Always unacceptable and wrong. And then she was scarred by an experience that reinforced this self-perception. When she did finally begin to find herself, it was through sports, and her mother explained that not only do sports have no real value for girls in the real world, but that Theall’s ovaries would likely fall out (spoiler: they didn’t). And the rampant homophobia was so ingrained that homophobia wasn’t even a concept or a word. It was just life. Homosexuality was not a thing; it was wrong, it didn’t exist, it went against the natural order, it was against God.

Although I didn’t read this as a Christian memoir–but you could–Theall’s Catholicism, and her relationship with God, is one of the most important strands woven throughout the book. As she is fighting to have her son’s baptism rescheduled, Theall considers one of the focal points of the priest’s concern: “How do you reconcile your homosexual lifestyle with your Christian beliefs?” At that point, she thinks, she’s spent 42 years resolving that question. By then, her faith is a source of strength, not angst. (Faith. Not clergy. Faith.) Her tale of getting to that place of acceptance is powerful and filled with pain, uncertainty, lots of guilt, and some big epiphanic moments.

The religious aspect is tied in to a larger question of general identity. And this is all woven in with a third piece: Theall’s relationship with her (birth) family–particularly her mother. (In fact, separating these out makes for artificial distinctions, but is done for the sake of clarifying what you might want to keep an eye out for.) The reading group guide (included in the new paperback edition) says, “In order to be a good mother, Michelle begins to realize that she may have to be a bad daughter.” While reading this book, you will probably never be convinced that Theall feels she has any chance of being regarded as a good daughter. You will probably wonder if, now that this book has been published, Theall’s mother is still talking to her. You may cheer inwardly at the choice to publish, knowing full well what the consequences might be.

Trigger warning for sexual assault.

Ashley’s Most-Anticipated Queer YA Books of 2015

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Happy 2015, Lesbrary readers! Malinda Lo recently discovered that 2014 was a groundbreaking year for LGBT YA in the publishing world, and the list below is just a small glimpse into the greatness that is to come this year. Here are some of the books I’m most looking forward to reading (and perhaps reviewing!) in 2015:

flywheelThe Flywheel by Erin Gough (February): My first thought upon reading the description of The Flywheel was that it sounds like a lesbian Sarah Dessen book, a prospect which really speaks to my younger self. At age seventeen, Delilah has been left with the task of running the family business (a café called The Flywheel) after her father takes off overseas.  After her crush on a straight girl ends in embarrassment at school, Delilah decides she cannot reveal how she feels about Rosa, the beautiful girl who dances at a tapas bar across from the café. Delilah’s best friend, Charlie, is the only one who knows her true feelings for Rosa, but he becomes distracted by the prospect of dating an older woman, leading to some seriously complicated business.nototherwisespecified

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz (March): Etta, a bisexual African-American girl from small-town Nebraska, is sick of conforming to labels that don’t quite fit her. In her eating disorder rehab group, Etta meets Bianca and suddenly feels like she belongs – despite the fact that the girls are seemingly very different. (Bianca is white, straight, and Christian.) Etta starts to think that maybe this is where she fits in after all, but her serious concerns about Bianca’s health and recovery lead her to question whether Bianca can be her savior after all.

NoneoftheAboveNone of the Above by IW Gregorio (April): Let me just start by saying that IW Gregorio is one of my new idols. Her website bio describes her as “Mother. Surgeon. YA Author.” and, as if that wasn’t awesome enough, she is also a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. At the beginning of the novel, everything seems to be falling into place for Kristin. She has a full scholarship to college, a boyfriend that she loves, and the glory of being homecoming queen. When she decides she is ready to have sex, Kristin discovers that something is not right – and she soon learns that she is intersex. When her secret is leaked to the entire school, Kristin has to learn to come to terms with her identity. Gregorio describes the book as “Middlesex meets Mean Girls” – making me even more eager to get my hands on a copy.

Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul (October): As someone who was very pre-occupied with the “where is the line between friends and more-than-friends” question in my early lesbian days, I am very intrigued to see what happens in this book. Categorized as a contemporary psychological thriller, the novel revolves around two girls, Mattie and Jolene. Mattie decides to take back the life that Jolene stole from her (including her previous boyfriend and friends), but that draws her into an obsessive relationship with Jolene that lies somewhere between friendship and love.

What We Left Behind by Robin Talley (November): Robin Talley’s second novel follows a Gretchen, a lesbian girl and Toni, a genderqueer person, as they try to stay in a relationship while juggling the transition to college and Toni’s changing gender identity. Last year, when I read Rainbow Rowell’s novel Fangirl, I remember thinking that it was unique for a novel categorized as YA to document the shift from high school to college. I am excited to read Talley’s take on the transition, especially after reading great reviews of her first novel, Lies We Tell Ourselves.

What LGBT YA novels are you most looking forward to reading in 2015? And while you’re pre-ordering all of the titles above, why not tell We Need Diverse Books that you’re resolving to read queer YA this year?

 

Danika reviews The Color Purple by Alice Walker

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It’s hard to know what to write about a book like this, which is so well renowned, and so important. This was a work that I’d heard mentioned many, many times, and one that I felt a little ashamed of not having already read. (In fact I had multiple people say that they thought I had already read this when I pulled it out to read.) So it seemed like the obvious choice to start out my Year of Reading In Color.

It’s funny the sort of things you take in about a classic book before you read it. I knew this was supposed to be an excellent, moving novel. I knew it covered dark subject matter, and it seemed to be referenced as quite bleak. I also knew there was some lesbian element to the book, though this always seemed to be an afterthought in reviews, which made me think it was subtextual. I didn’t know that the book was an epistolary novel, complete with misspellings and a lack of quotation marks. I didn’t know that the lesbian relationship in not at all subtextual, and I would argue the heart of the book is love between women. I also didn’t know that despite the dark material, this is an incredibly life-affirming book.

And it does cover dark material. In fact, Celie’s letters to God (the format of the book) begin with her description of being raped by her father. After leaving her father’s house, she enters into an unhappy marriage with a man who insults and beats her. And this is on top of the more general oppression of living as a black woman in the American South in the 1930s. A lot of this book seems to center around survival, and at the beginning of the narrative, this seems to be Celie’s only goal, which is difficult enough. She is quiet, afraid to stand up for herself, and she feels as if she is passing time until she can reach heaven. One of my favourite things about The Color Purple, however, is that it demonstrates many models of how to be a woman and how to survive. Nettie, Celie’s sister and only real family, is clever and defiant, and Sofia is passionate and proud and will return any violence aimed towards her. Despite all dealing with misogynoir, these women all respond differently and find different ways to survive and grow, and there are many more women (Shug, Mary Agnes, Tashi, etc) who fight against the racist and sexist limitations in their lives in their own ways.

Not only is there this abundance of diverse, complex female characters, but they also form a network of support with each other. Despite having very different personalities, and occasionally butting heads, as Celie’s life continues, she forms a nontraditional family that encompasses blood family, friends, exes, and a lot of what we would now consider polyamorous relationships. What seems to start this for Celie is her relationship with Shug, who is an on-again-off-again lover of her husband’s. When Celie sees a picture of Shug, she immediately falls for her, and eventually they enter into a relationship, despite both of their husbands. I wondered while reading it if Shug would be seen as a biphobic stereotype by today’s standards, because she freely moves between relationships with men and women, and is probably the most sexual character of the book. But she’s also such a strong, supportive, loving character that I personally can’t see it as negative. This relationship, along with her love of her sister, is really what felt like the core of the novel for me. Between her love of Shug and her sister, Celie is able to find support and piece together a family. She also–maybe because she grows up, maybe because she’s surrounded by so many take-no-shit women–develops a better sense of herself and what is possible in her life. Celie’s character growth is slow and subtle, and it’s so rewarding.

There is just so much packed into this book. Reading it once feels like just skimming the surface. Walker has so many interesting things to say about not only racism and sexism, but also colonialism in Africa, black women raising white women’s children, and religion and spirituality. The discussion that Shug and Celie have about the nature of God (and the color purple) is profound even for an atheist reader. I want to read more responses to The Color Purple, because I know that I have missed so much, and I know that this will be one to revisit over and over. I can’t believe that this novel has somehow had its lesbian content downplayed in my experience in how its discussed, not only because Celie is unabashedly gay, but also because this is a story that so obviously celebrates every kind of love between women. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Kalyanii reviews Don’t Bang the Barista by Leigh Matthews

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If truth be told, my initial interest in Don’t Bang the Barista probably had something to do with my long-held crush on the red-headed, fresh-faced beauty who works the morning shift at the coffee shop a couple of blocks from my office. However, with the turn of the first few pages, it became clear that I had stumbled upon something special. Touted as “a fresh take on the classic genre of lesbian pulp fiction,” Don’t Bang the Barista proves intriguing, endearing and utterly captivating throughout.

Lest anyone be put off, the title is simply an allusion to the advice that Cass offers her friend Kate while discussing the politics of pursuing a barista crush. After all, imagine how awkward it could be if, after a few dates, it all went wrong. Who wouldn’t tread lightly? Yet, could it be that Cass’s concern has more to do with her feelings for Kate than a desire to protect the sanctity of their social space? Cultivating a burgeoning friendship via early morning conversations at the dog park, Cass and Kate enjoy an effortless rapport… until Cass begins to act a bit out of character.

Unable to figure out what lies beneath Cass’s tough-girl exterior, Kate assumes that Cass wants Hannah, the barista, for herself; yet, Kate is too preoccupied with her ex’s return to town to truly reach out and discover what it is that’s bothering her friend. All the while, Cass grows increasingly moody as well as distant. Though others find Cass’s feelings for Kate to be rather obvious, it is only upon determining with whom her own heart lies that Kate discovers it just may be too late.

For all of its light-hearted quirkiness, Don’t Bang the Barista does not shy away from an exploration of the challenges often encountered amid non-traditional relationship dynamics — without any disruption in the tone or flow of the narrative. The way in which Kate supports her bisexual friend, Em, in navigating her desire for a female lover while protecting her primary hetero relationship illuminates just as much about Kate and Em’s friendship as it does the validation of polyamory and conscious/consensual decision-making. The emotional impacts of in vitro fertilization, social alienation and heartbreak are investigated without for a moment compromising the novel’s hip and sexy vibe.

I was struck by the way in which the LGBT-friendly locale of East Vancouver allowed for a more nuanced presentation of the issues mentioned above and a more complex understanding of the characters who encounter them; whereas, in less accepting communities, identity issues — let alone physical and emotional survival — supercede more subtle human needs out of necessity alone. It’s basically a manifestation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Once we feel safe within our environment, we are better able to enjoy the journey toward self-actualization, creating a meaningful and satisfying existence, which at the end of the day is precisely what the women of Don’t Bang the Barista are seeking.

[Editor’s note: also check out Danika’s review!]

Link Round Up: December 29 – January 3

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movingforwardslikeacrab   safegirltolove  skinfolk

AfterEllen posted 2014: The Year in Lesbian/Bi Books.

Autostraddle posted Top 10 Queer and Feminist Books of 2014.

Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian posted The Best Queer Women’s Fiction of 2014 and Reading Projects Past and Reading Projects Present: A Year of QTPOC Books.

Rainbow Reading posted 2015 LGBTQ Releases!

Women and Words posted

Bastard   huntress_arc_cover_web   afterworlds

Malinda Lo posted My short story “The Fox” is now available for free online.

“A Question of Class” by Dorothy Allison from 1994 was posted at History Is a Weapon.

“History Repeating Itself: Odd Girl Out and Under This Beautiful Dome” was posted at Huffington Post.

Sweet, Sweet Wine by Jaime Clevenger was posted at Lambda Literary.

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld was reviewed at Rainbow Reading.

This post, and all posts at the Lesbrary, have the covers linked to their Amazon pages. If you click through and buy something, I might get a small referral fee. For even more links, check out the Lesbrary’s twitter! We’re also on Facebook, Goodreads, Youtube and Tumblr.

Updated Sidebar

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Hello everyone! As part of my New Years sprucing up of the Lesbrary, I’ve cleared out the sidebar of any dead links. I’ve also added a new category, “Dormant”, for sites that haven’t updated in the last six months. I also added a bunch of new links to it, especially in the Queer Book Blogs section. Enjoy!

Casey reviews The Haunting on Hill House by Shirley Jackson

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Reviewing Shirley Jackson’s classic haunted house story The Haunting on Hill House seems a little seasonally inappropriate for the beginning of the New Year, but I’m going to go ahead and talk about it anyway, especially since it’s often not talked about as a queer / lesbian book, which is a shame, I think.

I read this book, or rather, listened to the audiobook version in late October.  Even if you’re a bit wimpy like I am, I suggest both this format and season, because they’re just such a great fit.  Bernadette Dunne, the voice actress who reads the novel, is just brilliant and chilling and does a great job embodying the different characters and voices.  And of course, around Halloween is always the best time to read scary stories.

Published in 1959, The Haunting on Hill House is considered by many to be the perfect haunted house story, as Shirley Jackson is considered a master of the gothic genre.  I couldn’t agree more.  Jackson employs perfect restraint, allowing the horror to remain psychological and mysterious and just out of reach.  Like in the masterful near-perfect Turn of the Screw by Henry James, you never quite know what it exactly happening, if it’s in the minds of the characters or an evil actually residing in the house.  Jackson’s writing is similarly restrained and lean, but incredibly muscular.

The story itself is simple enough: four strangers gather at a house with a haunted reputation, one of them an academic of the paranormal, with the intent of discovering if the house is indeed haunted and of capturing some evidence of this.  It’s a self-consciously contrived situation, full of ironically witter banter between the characters who have been thrust into this unnatural relationship, living together in some kind of odd instant family.

Wait, what’s the lesbian part, you’re probably wondering?  Remember, this book was written in the fifties era of censorship, where any explicit queerness was a sure-fire way to not have your book published or heavily edited (you know, the lesbian has to die / be left by her treacherous bisexual partner for a man, etc., in order to make sure they’re not condoning the ‘homosexual lifestyle’).  So the lesbian part of this book definitely falls into the category of subtext.

But even to the 21st century eye, this subtext is quite obviously not accidental.  In fact, I think it’s quite clearly coded.  Theodora, one of the investigators at the house, agrees to come stay at the house in the middle of nowhere because of a fight with her ‘roommate’ that sounds an awful lot like a lover’s quarrel.  The other woman at the house, Eleanor, forms a quick and emotionally charged bond with Theodora that is not unlike a crush.  The former owner of the house is an old spinster who had a woman from the village staying with her as a ‘companion.’  In other words, the house is pretty gay.  I’d wager to say, actually, that one theory for what’s so scary in the house for Eleanor in particular is the possibilities of (queer) sexuality.

Although by today’s standards this book isn’t really that scary, I would caution you about reading (or listening to) this alone at night in a big old house.  Like I did.  Also, I will freely admit Jackson’s novel made me hesitant to venture into my dingy basement to do laundry.  Just sayin’.

Casey, aka the Canadian lesbrarian, is a bisexual writer with an MA in English who lives in Vancouver.  When not reading queer Canadian lit or reviewing it, she’s teaching ESL, running, or drinking tea.  But not at the same time.  Find her on twitter.

Danika’s 2014 End of Year Book Survey

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I got these questions from Perpetual Page Turner. I’m also going to do a slightly different end of year book survey on my youtube channel, so look out for that soon. Oh, and I’ll be doing a post about my top books of 2014 on my channel and an all-lesbian one at the Lesbian Fiction Appreciation Event on the 13th. So this reading year will be thoroughly recapped!

Number Of Books You Read: 123

Number of Re-Reads: 4, I think.

Genre You Read The Most From: Young Adult/Teen.

Best In Books

Lo_Adaptation_HC_600x9001. Best book you read in 2014?

The Adaptation and Inheritance duology by Malinda Lo.

2. Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn’t?

Probably The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, which is funny, because I did love it, but it was such a painful reading experience and I wasn’t expecting that. It was very good, but I was expecting to enjoy the reading experience more than I did.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014? 

Just Girls by Rachel Gold. I wasn’t blown away by Being Emily, but Just Girls ended up being one of my favourite books of the year.

4. Book you “pushed” the most people to read (and they did) in 2014?

Adaptation by Malinda Lo. I work in the kids’ section of a bookstore, and I’ve been pushing that one on anyone I can. I must be personally responsible for about a dozen copies of that book selling by now.

5. Best series you started in 2014? Best sequel of 2014? Best series ender of 2014?wheniwasstraight

Honest answer, though repetitive: Adaptation, Inheritance, Inheritance.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

Not a lesbian author, but I’ll include it because she does have one lesbian protagonist, Tamora Pierce. I’ve read 26 of her books this year.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I don’t read a lot of poetry, but I enjoyed When I Was Straight by Julie Marie Wade, particularly the first half.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Honestly? Adaptation.

 zombiesvsunicorns9. Book you read in 2014 that you are most likely to re-read next year?

There’s not really any that I’m planning to re-read quite that soon.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?

I’m partial to Zombies vs Unicorns edited by Holly Black (one lesbian short story included), which has that zombie illustration printed on the entire cover of the book, with the black part as the dust cover.

11. Most memorable character of 2014?

Many of Tamora Pierce’s characters, but only one is a lesbian: [spoiler]       Daja.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?

Not a lesbian book, but I loved the tone of The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, especially as an audio book. I’m going to go with The Story of Ruth and Eliza by Kristen Stone. Honourable mention to Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley, which has a very effective motif (the lies we tell ourselves, of course) throughout.

13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2014?payingguests

Most thought-provoking was definitely House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, but that’s not a lesbian book. Lizzy & Annie by Casey Plett, which inspired a rant about realism.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read? 

Tamora Pierce books! I’ve heard how amazing they are for years, but only got around to it in 2014.

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2014?

“They embraced, their two hearts thudding like fists on the opposite sides of a bolted door.” — The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Shortest: Lizzy & Annie by Casey Plett. Longest: House of Leaves. Longest lesbian book read: The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters.

17. Book that shocked you the most

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters. That story did not go where I was expecting.

lizzyandannie18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Flo and Nan in Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (a reread).

19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year

The four main characters of the Circle of Magic series.

20. Favorite book you read in 2014 from an author you’ve read previously

Would you believe… Adaptation by Malinda Lo? I liked Ash and Huntress, but not nearly as much as I loved these ones.

21. Best book you read in 2014 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else/peer pressure

House of Leaves. All the Tamora Pierce books.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014? willoftheempress

 Daja    from the Circle of Magic series.

23. Best 2014 debut you read?

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley.

24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year?

All the Tamora Pierce books, though I do find Emelan and Tortall almost interchangeable except the magic elements.

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most FUN to read?

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters, my favourite book of all time, which I reread for the first time this year and loved it just as much. It’s a delight.

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2014?

Briar’s Book by Tamora Pierce. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, which like I said in my review, was like having my heart slowly torn out while reading it.

heroworship27. Hidden gem of the year?

Hero Worship by Rebekah Matthews, another painful but incredibly realistic read about the desperate, stifled desire for love and attention.

28. Book that crushed your soul?

Both The Paying Guests and Hero Worship.

29. Most unique book you read in 2014?

Lizzy & Annie by Casey Plett.

30. Book that made you the most mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Polymorph by Scott Westerfeld, which had such a promising premise and beginning, and then failed to follow through on the queer foundations of the story, which was disappointing.

Bloggish/Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2014?   justgirls

Probably We Need Diverse Books.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2014? 

I don’t usually actually reread reviews after writing them, because I get really self-conscious. I do think that my review of Just Girls was thorough, though, and I liked that I was able to incorporate links and references to recent events in.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?  

I haven’t had a lot of non-review posts, other than the link round ups, which is something I want to work on in 2015 (hence this survey!), but I do always enjoy doing readathon posts.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?  

Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014?  

Probably getting to meet Malinda Lo at Leakycon!

wellofloneliness7. Most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My review of The Well of Loneliness that I wrote in 2010, for some reason?

8. Post you wished got a little more love?  

I’d love to see the Link Round Ups get commented on.

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

We Need Diverse Books!

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I aimed to read 100 books this year, which I exceeded, and I also wanted to read 1 book by all the authors whose work I was at all interested in that was attending Leakycon, which I also did. Oh, and I wanted to keep up with Mark’s Tamora Pierce reviews, which I have been doing.

Looking Forward

1. One book you didn’t get to in 2014 but will be your number 1 priority in 2015?TheColorPurple

A book I’ve been meaning to read for ages that will be the first book I pick in 2015 is The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2015 (non-debut)?,3. 2015 debut you are most anticipating?    4. Series ending/a sequel you are most anticipating in 2015?, 6. A 2015 release you’ve already read & recommend to everyone

I don’t usually read a lot of new releases, so there’s nothing I’m anticipating for 2015, except maybe the next Veronica Mars book, which is not lesbian and I won’t actually be reading it in 2015 because I’m reading all authors of color this year.

5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2015?  

I have a couple.On is to read all authors of color in 2015, and I also want to post more original content at the Lesbrary that isn’t just reviews and links–more discussions.

And that’s the whole survey! Thank you for reading! What were your best, worst, and most surprising books you read in 2014? Are you planning anything in particular in your reading life for 2015?