Books
Book and Author: The Space Mission Adventure by Sharon M. Draper
Date Read: October 7th
Format: Physical Hardback
Age Demographic and Genre: Children’s Contemporary
Pages: 102
Rating: No Rating
This is a fun educational story about space travel, and I appreciate the emphasis on people of color working in this industry. But I could have done without the brief comments about Christopher Columbus being a creative explorer. I actively considered skipping over that propaganda for the volunteer reading videos I made for school.
Book and Author: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Date Read: October 3rd-October 9th
Format: Audiobook
Age Demographic and Genre: Adult Memoir
Pages: 304 (6h 26m)
Rating: 
Trigger warnings for child abuse, emotional abuse, eating disorders (binging, anorexia, bulimia, calorie counting), alcoholism, rape, toxic relationships, age gap relationship, death of a parent (cancer), pedophilia, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, mental illness (OCD and schizophrenia), panic attack, and a brief reference to stalking.
With each vignette from her childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, Jennette McCurdy does an impeccable job immersing the reader into her state of mind during these moments. I experienced every conflicting emotion along with her, at times feeling gaslit myself by Deborah. However, the chapters after Deborah’s death feel ironically distant and hazy in detail. I know this book is primarily about Jennette’s relationship with her mother rather than her career, but I feel like a stronger focus on specific career milestones post-quitting acting would have provided some more clarity on her recovery process. How did returning to writing help her? Did it rejuvenate a love for creative arts? Was it a key element in claiming an identity that she never had the chance to fully develop in her childhood? The narrative feels more focused on her starting to realize the depths of her trauma than healing from the trauma.
Book and Author: Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Date Read: October 10th-October 13th
Format: Audiobook
Age Demographic and Genre: Young Adult Fantasy (LGBT+ rep)
Pages: 400 (10h 31m)
Rating: 
Trigger warnings for domestic abuse, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, adult/minor relationships, beheading, descriptions of body decay, brief sexual assault (nonconsensual kiss), kidnapping, and trafficking.
Cinderella Is Dead has a promising beginning with the potential for compelling feminist commentary and intriguing character development. But after chapter eighteen, all the potential unfortunately succumbs to the lagging plot. The book takes a lot of inspiration from classic fairy tales, most notably in its plot. But the problem with that structure being the crux of a novel is that fairy tales don’t care about character development. They’re morality tales used to reinforce societal norms. So it doesn’t make much sense to adhere to that concept when writing a story about individuals breaking out of social barriers. Rather than mostly retelling the Cinderella history from different perspectives, Kalynn Bayron could have used all that time in the middle of the book to develop Sophia’s character. She’s introduced as a spit-fire, defiant rabble-rouser, but looks comparatively timid next to the dagger-wielding Constance whose only personality trait is threatening to slit people’s throats. This book has some memorable scenes at the beginning and end that present a strong metaphor for misogynistic structures. But the rest of it tries so hard to be a fairy tale that it forgets to include the essentials of a good fantasy novel.
Book and Author: The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk
Date Read: October 25th-October 27th
Format: Audiobook
Age Demographic and Genre: Young Adult Contemporary (LGBT+ rep)
Pages: 327 (8h 55m)
Rating: 
Trigger warnings for death (car crash, suicide, cancer), alcoholism, drug use and abuse, panic attacks, depression, intimate partner violence, revenge porn, mentions of minors in a sex tape, and brief non-descriptive suicidal language.
I think I need to draft a new list for a weekly post: “Misleading Descriptions That Ruined My Reading Experience.” If you’ve never read The Beauty That Remains, go to Goodreads or StoryGraph and read the description. Does it make you believe that Autumn, Logan, and Shay are close friends who are torn apart by the loss of a shared loved one? That’s the impression I got. But that’s not the case. At best, two of the three are former co-workers. At worst, the other pairings are complete strangers. There’s no reason for Woodfolk to lump the stories into one book. Not even their individual characterizations can justify the haphazard weaving of the narratives. The trajectory of the characters’ grief is too similar, both in timeline and poor coping mechanisms. And the cast is so overcrowded with side characters that the protagonists barely have room to stand in the spotlight. Logan and Shay stood out in my mind because of their mental illnesses, substance use, and therapy sessions. But Autumn’s nothing plot made her less than an afterthought. She’s the random name that pops into your head right before you fall asleep, but you’re too tired to bother remembering how you know her. By the time you wake up, her memory has drifted away with your dreams. The book ultimately reaches an important message about leaning on your loved ones while you grieve. But the slow plot and two-dimensional characters don’t make that message worth it. I’d rather reread Summer Bird Blue.
Book and Author: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Date Read: October 28th
Format: Audiobook
Age Demographic and Genre: Young Adult Memoir (LGBT+ rep)
Pages: 320 (5h 12m)
Rating: 
Trigger warnings for homophobia, homophobic slurs, racism, racial microaggressions, frequent use of the n-word, explicit incestuous molestation, sexual assault, explicit depictions of consensual sex, cancer, outing, substance abuse, depression, deadnaming, mentions of transphobia, hazing, and police brutality.
Despite the hype All Boys Aren’t Blue received in 2020, I probably wouldn’t have read it if a banned book wasn’t required for my Seminar in Literature curriculum project this semester. Though some parts of the book were graphic and unsettling, I’m glad I took the time to read it. The throughlines I appreciate the most are Johnson’s explorations of the conflict between safety and authenticity spurred by his intersecting identities. Throughout his youth, he chooses to repress certain parts of himself to make those around him more comfortable. But denying his authentic self made him miserable, leading to a bout of depression and substance abuse in college. It’s not until he finds a community of black gay men that he’s comfortable enough to explore his queerness. I admire this uplifting message and all the other advice he imparts throughout the book. However, style-wise, I would have preferred prose that was less simplistic. It also would have been nice if he could have delved deeper into the history that created the culture he criticizes. But I have to remind myself that his memoir is specifically intended for young adults. Simplicity is necessary so the central messages don’t get lost.
Book and Author: Bee and PuppyCat, Vol. 2 by Natasha Allegri, et. al.
Date Read: October 30th
Format: Physical Paperback
Age Demographic and Genre: Fantasy Comic Anthology
Pages: 94
Rating: No Rating
I feel like I got the same level of enjoyment from this volume as I did from the first one. As expected, the longer stories are my favorites, and I prefer the bright art styles that resemble the show.
Book and Author: The Kindred by Alechia Dow
Date Read: November 8th – November 13th
Format: Audiobook
Age Demographic and Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi (LGBT+ rep)
Pages: 400 (11h 28m)
Rating: 
Trigger warnings for death and murder, alcoholism, underage drinking, depression, fatphobia, anti-blackness, references to Covid19, systemic racism, Islamophobia, school shootings, and the death of a parent.
Actually footage of me listening to this audiobook:
Maybe skimming over the Goodreads summary was my mistake, but the fact that this space opera sci-fi spends so long lingering on Earth feels like a betrayal. I wanted political intrigue, action, suspense, surprising reveals, and cute romance. Unfortunately, Felix constantly gushing over Joy couldn’t compensate for the story’s myriad failings. The Kindred‘s plot falls apart as soon as Joy and Felix land on Earth. The location robs the story of the chance to indulge in sci-fi tropes and thoroughly develop the world-building. I don’t want to be reminded of the pandemic or see Joy marvel at human music, fashion, and food. This time could have been better spent establishing the other alien species, planetary systems, and government conflicts that become integral to the climax. Tell me more about the royal family, the danger Joy and Felix’s parents are in, and why Arrden is obviously the villain. Briefly listing names won’t make me remember! My disappointment is made worse by the fact that Dow explains the world-building well in the first few chapters, detailing the importance of the Kindred Program, Monchuri classism, and why Felix and Joy can never be romantic partners. It feels like she overwhelmed herself with a grandiose concept and gave up halfway through, deciding to shove all the twists into the last three chapters. The story would have been better if Dow wrote in third-person omniscient and gave the reader all the necessary information to keep up. Or she could have written a series. Or stick with writing contemporary romance.
Book and Author: One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
Date Read: November 18th-November 21st
Format: Audiobook
Age Demographic and Genre: Young Adult Contemporary (LGBT+ rep)
Pages: 335 (9h 49m)
Rating: 
Trigger warnings for racism, racial microaggressions, police brutality, race riots, frequent references to lynching, death, stalking, kidnapping, drugging, homophobia (mostly in religious contexts), brief pedophilic comments, and posthumous outing.
After finishing my last discussion assignment for my Seminar in Literature class, I don’t know how to discuss One of the Good Ones without addressing the twist. It’s a major part of why I enjoyed the novel so much as it hammered in the message about not devaluing someone’s tragedy because they weren’t a perfect victim. If you want to know my thoughts, go to my Goodreads review. I posted an excerpt from my assignment that explains my thoughts on the twist.
I enjoyed seeing how the authors interweave family history into the text. The chapters written from Grandpa Riley’s and Great-Grandma Eveyln’s perspectives gave both the green book and some of the road trip stops even more significance, heightening Happi’s growing connection to her ancestors and departed sister. If you like books that discuss history, communal responsibility, and complex grief, I recommend that you read this book. Anyone specifically interested in the politics of the race riot scenes should pick up Black Birds in the Sky as supplemental reading.
Book and Author: Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert
Date Read: November 23rd
Format: Audiobook
Age Demographic and Genre: Young Adult Historical Nonfiction
Pages: 224 (5h 25m)
Rating:
Trigger warnings for racism, racial microaggressions, slavery, colonialism, race riots, lynching, and repeated use of the n-word in quotations.
Despite other readers’ complaints, I appreciate that the Black Birds in the Sky lays the foundation for the massacre with detailed historical context and explores how the tragedy continues to affect the survivors’ descendants and current Tulsa residents. By including these details, Colbert rejects the common practice of teaching history as if each event is isolated and no longer relevant. Doing so makes it easy to repeat history’s mistakes. My only gripe with this book is that the first chapter spews out a lot of information. It’s overwhelming to process the mistreatment of Indigenous Americans, anti-miscegenation laws, and the political whims of racist presidents all at once.
Book and Author: Bee and PuppyCat, Vol. 3 by Natasha Allegri, et. al.
Date Read: November 30th
Format: E-book
Age Demographic and Genre: Fantasy Comic Anthology
Pages: 100
Rating: No Rating
Though I usually don’t care for the short stories in these anthologies, it feels weird that there aren’t many stories in this bind-up. There are five total, three of which are at least ten pages. The length gives those stories more room to be cute and sentimental. But they aren’t equally entertaining. This is probably my least favorite volume of the series, but only because there’s not much variety in the types of narratives.
Movies and TV
Haul
I bought Cliquetionary: The Wit and Wisdom of the Clique this quarter with a free book credit from ThriftBooks. I also used some gift cards I received for graduation to buy A Constellation of Roses by Miranda Acebedo, One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, and Zyla & Kai by Kristina Forest from PangoBooks and The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson from Barnes and Noble. I also received the Avatar: The Last Airbender cookbook for Christmas.
In addition to the cookbook, my parents gave me an Avatar: The Last Airbender puzzle from Redbubble and a Chick-fil-A gift card. My sister gave me an Amanda Rach Lee notebook, some purple pens, transparent sticky notes, and purple scrunchies. One of my aunts gave me a blanket and socks set. The rest of my family gave me Amazon gift cards
Life Update
Events: This quarter was fairly uneventful. I spent most of my time reading for school and working on the weekends. The only major events were Thanksgiving dinner at my oldest sister’s house, my college graduation, and Christmas dinner. I didn’t get to participate in most of the last event’s festivities because I got sick. But, since I felt better at the end of the night, I got to open my presents and watch Boxing Day with my parents and sister.
Activities: While listening to audiobooks for school, I played a lot of Animal Crossing Pocket Camp. I also made two Christmas advent calendars for my brother-in-law and my cousin’s boyfriend. I posted a tutorial if you want to see how I made them. After graduation, I spent a lot of time sorting my notes for the series I’m working on. I’m currently developing the series bible — which includes world-building notes, character profiles, and a general timeline — into one page on Notion.
Songs on Repeat:
- “Dead Horse” by Hayley Williams
- “This is Why” by Paramore
- “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish
- “Call Me Queen” by Citizen Queen
- “Older” by 5 Seconds of Summer
- “I’m With You” by Avril Lavigne
- “I’m Yours” by Alessia Cara (Caleb Hacker cover)
- “For the Night” by Chlöe
- “Made You Look” by Meghan Trainor
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