July Reading Favourites

Look at that cover! This is a YA horror book written by a trans Canadian author that knocked my socks off. A small town has secrets it's trying to hide, and after the death of a boy and a newcomer arriving, things start slipping out of control. It's a book about being trans or queer and living in a small town, and how a community creating a facade of a perfect town can backfire. Also maybe closing your eyes to anything that's "not your business" is not good actually! It's violent and full of rage, and I loved the way it played with time and perspective. Check the triggers, but if you're interested in reading it, I'd recommend going in blind without looking at reviews or a longer description!

This is a short book of essays about ableism and disability justice, specifically relating to technological advances for disabled people. Most of the essays focus on a different type of technology for different disabilities (prosthetics, hearing aids, cures for autism, etc.) and how they have or have not served actually disabled people instead of the people creating them who think they know what they need. The author does a great job speaking clearly and decisively on each topic, and even though I've read several non-fiction books about disability, this one still had a lot to teach me by focusing on this specific issue. Well worth the read.

This is an older (2001) fantasy book that I only got to for the first time now! It's a coming-of-age story about Corie, the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman who spends only her summers at the castle. Light on fantasy and heavy on character growth, this is a really lovely story about slowly discovering the dark reality of politics and royalty. Corie starts the book young and naive, but you get to see her grow up and mature over the years. It was such a comforting read and reminded me of the kinds of books I read as a teen, like Robin McKinley's books. I enjoyed it immensely.

The Other Significant Others - I love reading about friendship, and this non-fiction book looks at different "couples" who have made a friendship their central relationship, while examining different aspects of this kind of life, like co-parenting, sexuality, and legal aspects. I thought it was really well done, and while I read it because it is relevant to me, I think it would be a worthwhile read for anyone interested in sociology, friendship, and queerplatonic relationships.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is just so good at setting up a premise, letting it unfold slowly, and then having it all come together in a thrilling way in the last quarter of the book. Here we have an academic studying a horror writer whose friend disappeared mysteriously, all while experiencing some strange things herself. In another thread set in Mexico, we get the story of the main character's great-grandmother, whose family seems to be cursed. The three timelines come together in delicious ways. I was not disappointed in one of my favourite authors.

And here is my favourite romance of the month! Sam is about to get fired by his jerk boss when he takes a fall, and then decides to... fake amnesia to keep his job? It's an absurd premise, but Alexis Hall leans into it and makes it work in my opinion. It's silly with lots of laugh-out-loud banter. It's fade to black, with the focus on the two men getting to know each other slowly and seeing behind their first impressions, rather than any sexual attraction, which is what I like in a romance. It definitely had me grinning throughout!