ottsatwork

12. Gaysians by #MikeCurato.

Set in Seattle, with lots of recognizable bars, clubs, and landmarks, around the time I moved here. The new arrival in this ensemble is also Filipino (as is Curato). So, the weight of sisterhood, shame, judginess, and gratitude was strong for me. Nothing like community to hold you AND hold you back (IYKYK).

The self-styled Boy Luck Club friend group is comprised of Filipino, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Korean characters. A little bit too Captain Planet for me, but OK! I have been part of groups like this (see what I mean about being judgy?).

Things happen that are both uncomfortably close to home (racism in the gay community) and more didactic: “This is what it’s like to be multiply marginalized.” For what audience? The non-Asian ones that I worry about feed my judginess, but I really do feel this is for us. The weight of representation. A complicated read for me but I’m glad it exists.

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11. “Game Changer” by #RachelReid.
Well, Miss Reid got me. I’m reading the rest of these damn books, up until The Long Game (Book Six) when Season 2 of “Heated Rivalry” picks up Shane and Ilya’s story again.
This went on too long. Maybe the TV show compressing it down to one episode biased me. And Reid’s formula/limitations as a straight woman writing gay, male dynamics can be traced from the very beginning here all throughout this series.
But I can’t fault it for setting up Shane and Ilya’s big moment in Book 2/S1E5. 🤌🏽

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10. Infinity Gate by #MRCarey.

Fascinating premise of a multiverse that’s limited to planet Earth: endless variations overlaid in the same space. Some are rich in resources, others dead, and on and on. Instead of apes, other species attain dominance on other Earths: rabbits, hedgehogs, cats. But this is all background to a compelling story of three main characters from three different worlds and the key roles they play in a multiversal war: Hadiz Tambuwal, a Nigerian physicist; Essien Nkanika, a sex worker (among other things); and Paz, a rabbit girl.

Carey does an excellent job of telling a complex sci-fi story that’s easy to grasp and follow. Part one of a duology, I really enjoyed this.

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9. Heated Rivalry by #RachelReid.

Watched the TV show first and it’s remarkable how much of the dialogue and scenes are taken directly from the book with little to mostly no change. Of course, we get more interiority with both characters: their confusion, excitement, and separate resolutions that it has to stop.

I’ve watched/read an embarrassing number of interviews and deconstructions of the TV show and it’s a credit to both Reid and Jacob Tierney that they were able to craft something so satisfying in their respective mediums. “I’m coming to the cottage!”

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8. The Immortal King Rao by #VauhiniVara.

A first novel from a WSJ tech reporter that’s reminiscent of themes in Ray Nayler’s work: algorithmic governance, a climate-ravaged world, transferred sentience. Three stories/timeframes intertwine: King growing up as a Dalit on a coconut plantation in India, igniting the Coconut computer revolution in Seattle, and later on Bainbridge Island with his daughter living among anarchists.

You may prefer certain timelines over the others, but I liked them all. Though I was most confused with the present on Bainbridge, which unfortunately, was where most of the meaning is made. Vara tells a good story but the ending feels like she didn’t know how to wrap it all up. Still, Athena’s eventual understanding of her father is complex and real.

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7. Starling House by #AlixEHarrow.

Loved “The Everlasting” so much I borrowed Harrow’s prior novel from the library and it’s … not good. Too much going on: a sentient house, invisible horrors roaming the grounds, evil corporations, another dimension (?), and a poorly written love story. And quite a bit more. But Opal and Arthur, our main characters here, crawled so Una and Owen could fly, I guess. Skip this and just read “The Everlasting”.

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6. The Everlasting by #AlixEHarrow.

Incredibly good. A love story with time travel and fantasy elements. Una and Owen try again and again to rewrite history so they can be together. Harrow manages to keep it interesting even as parts of their story repeat. And with interesting gender fluidity between them too. To defy the cycle that traps you, to love fiercely and be loved in return, I never tired of reading their story over and over. Powerful stuff that makes you want to go out and fight for something and someone this hard.

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5. Trip by #AmieBarrodale.

Much of this went over my head because of my unfamiliarity with Buddhism, plus the maddening trend of not using quote marks with dialogue. A woman dies in Nepal at a “Death and Denouement” spiritual conference, where fascinating philosophies and belief systems converge. Her autistic son runs away and ends up asea during a hurricane and she attempts to help him from the Bardo. Surreal and funny in small parts, with unflinching insights on what it’s like to raise an autistic child, but mostly confusing and frustrating.

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4. No One Can Pronounce My Name by #RakeshSatyal.

What a premise! Every night, Harit dresses up and pretends to be his dead sister, Swati, to console their blind mother. Then there’s Ranjana, who writes paranormal romance while worrying that her husband is cheating on her. They somehow become friends while the author explores the Indian immigrant experience in America.

I wanted more though: it’s one of those books where I wished the author focused more over here vs. over there. It kinda drags too, but we do get some great payoffs by the end. And I feel a great tenderness towards these characters and the way they find and support each other. Plus the cover!

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3. Every Body: An Honest and Open Look at Sex from Every Angle by #JuliaRothman and #ShainaFeinberg.

I love the cover. The authors set up a series of real life and virtual convos and surveys (mainly in NY and the east coast?) and collected what they heard here. Accompanied by great illustrations from a few artists I recognized. It was tamer than I’m used to—our alt-weekly paper in Seattle, The Stranger, is way spicier, transgressive, and fun with its annual sex survey. But there’s not enough out there on women’s health, sexuality, and pleasure so I’m not mad. But I do thank the gay gods that I’m not trapped in the gender hell of straight people.

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2. The Teller of Small Fortunes by #JulieLeong.

A first novel that reads like one. This doesn’t mean it’s bad! Quite refreshing in that Leong builds a fantasy world with Chinese people, or Shinns, in it. And tells a perfectly fine story along the way. The genre needs more books like this.

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