Expectation: An Americana-hued ghost story.
Reality: Heavy on ambition, light on originality. You’ve heard variations of this story before – and by stronger authors.
Great Circle – Maggie Shipstead
Expectation: An historical fiction epic focusing on the early days of aviation.
Reality: Heavy on scope and scale, light on focus. It’s mostly enjoyable but also didn’t need to be 600+ pages.
Tin Man – Sarah Winman
Expectation: I honestly thought this was a young adult novel.
Reality: A contender for the shortlist of my favorite adult high-brow gay fiction.
Five Book Adaptations I Actually Want to See
Watching the “Fear Street” trilogy on Netflix got me thinking about the book adaptations I actually want to see.
Mid-Year Check-In: The Best (and Worst) Books and Audiobooks of 2021
Of the 43 books completed, most have been relatively mediocre with only five solidly five-star reads a few more strong recommendations.
The Sixth Wedding: A 28 Summers Story – Elin Hilderbrand
Expectation: “28 Summers, Part II,” also known as a quick cash grab by Hilderbrand.
Reality: An effective and rewarding mini sequel that honors the original while giving the reader closure to the rushed ending of “Summers.”
Wanderers – Chuck Wendig
Expectation: “The Stand” meets “The Walking Dead.”
Reality: A mostly solid end-of-the world story that is a tad too long to provide maximum impact.
Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid
Expectation: Another character-driven crowd pleaser from Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Reality: A mostly solid endeavor that keeps you entertained, but outside of one character it doesn’t deliver the emotional depth of her previous work.
Swimming in the Dark – Tomasz Jedrowski
Expectation: A coming-of-age story about overcoming outside forces to live your life fully.
Reality: Another historical fiction gay love story that felt a bit recursive.
Felix Ever After – Kacen Callender
Expectation: A YA romance with a different point-of-view.
Reality: A disconnected effort with a strong plot focused on identity and acceptance brought down by the typical YA tropes of too smart, too woke kids being mad at the world.
Mama’s Boy: A Story From Our Americas – Dustin Lance Black
Part personal memoir, part family history and part cultural commentary, “Mama’s Boy” is nonfiction that follows the formula of quality historical fiction – a strong female character, intersection with landmark events and overcoming barriers both within yourself and from the world around you.
The Road – Cormac McCarthy
Expectation: A fast-paced apocalyptic survival tale.
Reality: A slow-burn family drama that packs a lot of understated horror and emotional attachment to the main characters into the rich prose.
All Boys Aren’t Blue – George M. Johnson
Three standout essays show the potential of what this memoir-manifesto could’ve been if only Johnson showed more focus.
You Should See Me In A Crown – Leah Johnson
Expectation: A YA wish-fulfillment fantasy featuring a BIPOC queer lead.
Reality: A funny, heartfelt and quickly paced story that reminded me of the best late-90s teen comedies.
In the Dream House – Carmen Maria Machado
While “Dream House” didn’t totally work for me, it is an important work. How Machado uses her experiences to raise awareness of the challenges same sex couples face when reporting abuse, to addressing the ways in which the queer community will turn on its own, is important and urgent.
The Guncle – Steven Rowley
Expectation: A what-would-you-do dramedy tailor-made to us queers that relish being the “cool” uncle or aunt.
Reality: A campy, somewhat stereotypical story that runs a little long but delivers a lot of humor and heart.
13 Genre-Spanning Books About LGBTQIA+ Experiences
For Pride month, I’ve committed to reading only stories written by LGBTQIA+ writers and/or featuring predominately queer characters.
If you’re interested in a similar challenge, let me help you narrow down your choices with a little “Read This, Not That: Pride Edition.”
Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics – Dolly Parton and Robert K. Oermann
At only five hours, I’d encourage anyone to listen to “Songteller,” but it’s probably best suited for fans rather than casual observers of the superstar.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong
Expectation: A story about straddling two worlds.
Reality: One of the most beautifully written novels I’ve ever read.
My 2021 Pride Month Reading List
This year I’m going all in on Pride month reading by only choosing to read stories written by LGBTQ+ writers and/or featuring predominately queer characters. Getting through eight novels in a month is a stretch – even when I was quarantining – but I’m committed to prioritizing this list.