The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School Review || Blog Tour

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The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Publishing Date: May 17, 2022

Seventeen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers drawing attention for her killer eyeliner, not for being the new kid at a mostly white, very rich, Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she’s gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way. After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend, she could use the fresh start.
At Slayton Catholic, Yami has new priorities: make her mom proud, keep her brother out of trouble, and most importantly, don’t fall in love. Granted, she’s never been great at any of those things, but that’s a problem for Future Yami.
The thing is, it’s hard to fake being straight when Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, is so annoyingly perfect. And smart. And talented. And cute. Either way, Yami isn’t going to make the same mistake again. If word got back to her mom, she could face a lot worse than rejection. So she’ll have to start asking, WWSGD: What would a straight girl do?
Told in a captivating voice that is by turns hilarious, vulnerable, and searingly honest, The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School explores the joys and heartaches of living your full truth out loud.

Goodreads  | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound

When I first saw the title for this YA novel, I immediately knew that I had to add it to my TBR. As a Mexican-American girl who attended Catholic school from until I was 14 years old, this book called to me, and it did not disappoint! I mean…look at the first line of the book:

“Seven years of bad luck can slurp my ass.”

I have yet to read a book that so accurately exemplifies the Catholic guilt that I also experienced as a young person during my time (and for a while after) attending Catholic school. Yami is dealing with so much on top of guilt for not fitting into the narrow definition of a “good Catholic”, from fear of coming out to her mother and friends to coping with her father being deported from the United States. I appreciated how Sonora Reyes dealt with Yami’s very real fears, including the possible repercussions of coming out in her religious and “traditional” family. Despite how much she loves them and how much they love her, she is still fearful of being kicked out of her home and is forced to plan for such an outcome.

“She’s right. The bible says a whole lot of things that the Catholic church kind of just ignores. Why get so hung up over this one detail?”

Although this book focuses on quite a few heavy topics, it didn’t fail to make me laugh. Yami was such a fun character. I laughed out loud so many times because of her penchant for getting herself into uncomfortable situations in her efforts to avoid anyone finding out she is gay. She’s a bit of a mess, but all of her wackiness made her such a real character.

Her interactions with her friends and family, including her younger brother Cesar and her crush Bo, are also a big part of her journey and the book itself. I appreciated that the author focused on the immense amount of pressure that her mom puts on her to constantly watch out for brother, which is something so many Mexican girls are tasked with, no matter the age. Her crush Bo is also dealing with issues of her own as a queer Chinese girl adopted by white parents. I can’t speak to her experience, but the different representation in this book made it an even more enriching read. How Cesar and Bo’s experiences are woven through Yami’s own story was just beautiful.

“‘Bo, any way you engage with your own culture is authentic, because it’s yours.’ And damn, I kind of feel like I needed to hear that myself.”

Overall, I loved this book. It made me laugh, made me tear up a bit, and comforted me in ways I definitely needed. Even though the characters are really going through it, the book ends on a hopeful note that gave me the warm embrace that I hoped it to be.

Playlist

On to the playlist! I don’t know much about cumbia, regaeton, or some of the other genres mentioned that are typically in Spanish so I didn’t add songs of those genres, but I’m not feeling bad about it because as Yami says, how I engage with my own culture is authentic!!

About the Author:

Born and raised in Arizona, Sonora Reyes is the author of the forthcoming contemporary young adult novel: THE LESBIANA’S GUIDE TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL

They write fiction full of queer and Latinx characters in a variety of genres, with current projects in both kidlit and adult categories. Sonora is also the creator and host of the Twitter chat #QPOCChat, a monthly community-building chat for queer writers of color.

Sonora currently lives in Arizona in a multi-generational family home with a small pack of dogs who run the place. Outside of writing, Sonora loves dancing, singing karaoke, and playing with their baby nephew.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | YouTube

Thanks to TBR and Beyond Tours for including me in this blog tour! Let me know if you plan on adding this to your TBR or if it already is.

My Favorite Genre is the Family Saga

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If there’s one kind of book that I love, it’s the family saga. Novels that focus on how different generations of families interconnect and prevail almost always end up being the novels that leave the most lasting impact on me. There are endless points to identify with in these stories, no matter a person’s background, plus there is so much history within these stories. We are all connected! Here are some family sagas I have read and enjoyed (for the most part). Have you read any of them?

East of Eden by John Steinbeck is easily one of my favorite novels ever. It is quite long (which is why I keep putting off my re-read), but the compelling characters draw you in and slowly reveal themselves over the course of the story. The novel follows two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons over the course of several generations. There are so many themes in this book, but the most evident one is the biblical connection to Adam and Eve and Cane and Abel. It truly is a masterpiece that maybe…definitely made me cry several times. Not to mention the movie starring James Dean. That movie is only a quarter of this novel. It’s a classic that may be boring for some, but definitely worth the time if this is your kind of thing.

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Another favorite! Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi follows the families of two sisters from Ghana with very different fates, spanning from the 18th century to the present day. This novel is incredibly rich in its character development and setting, it’s flawless in my opinion. I don’t really understand how it’s possible to write such a complex story in only 300 pages, but Yaa Gyasi does it!

Okay, okay so this is also another all-time favorite of mine. Victor Villasenor’s novel Rain of Gold is actually non-fiction, which makes it a bit different from other books on this list. Focusing on two parallel stories of families, this novel begins during the Mexican Revolution and ends decades later in the United States. The writing is beautiful. It is essentially a love story and the fact that it is true makes it so much sweeter. This made me feel so much closer to my own heritage as a Mexican-American and is close to my heart forever.

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I recently finished reading Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu, which tells the story of a Chinese family during a time of war and migration. Fu truly impressed me, especially considering this is a debut novel. This story offered a glimpse at the history of modern China, which I was not very familiar with. It focused especially on war and its impact on the people involved. I was reading this on an airplane home during a particularly pivotal scene and was trying with all my might not to start sobbing right there in my seat! I’m super excited to see what else Melissa Fu releases in the future because this was a wonderful novel.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the currently most popular family saga, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. I read this a couple of months ago and would definitely recommend it if it interests you. It wasn’t one of my favorite family sagas because I didn’t click with the writing style, but I have been enjoying the series that came out this past month so much. It pieces the interweaving stories together in a way that makes me feel connected to the characters in a way I personally felt the novel was lacking. Either way, I’m glad we have both formats as it is an amazing story worth your time.

Have you read any of these books or do you have any recommendations not on this list? I realized that most of these books feature stories of migration to the US. I’ll have to look into other works focusing on families who remain in different countries!

Favorite Things: March 2022

Published on by Ali @ In the Lost & Found10 Comments

Hello friends, happy Spring! In the past, Spring has not been a favorite season of mine, especially since it is the beginning of the sweltering heat here in the desert. I’ve cranked up the A/C, I’ve retired the many layers of blankets on my bed, and I’m reluctantly preparing for another super-hot several many  months. March was a pretty good month though, and I will cherish the somewhat nice weather before it goes completely bonkers. Here is a collection of the bits-and-bobs that brought me some joy last month!

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I read ten books in March. Quite a few duds, *cough* Devil House *cough* Blood & Honey , but also some new favorites too!

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice:This post-apocalyptic thriller was a bit of a stressful read, as most post-apocalyptic stories are, but I loved it. It tells the story an Anishinaabe reservation in Northern Ontario as they cope with the state of their world when all the electricity on the planet goes out. The narrative focuses on the resiliency of the characters, the pressures of outsiders that never seem to cease to influence the lives of First Nations people, and so much more. It didn’t include as much detail as I would have liked, and skipped through time a bit, but it was a solid read.

Lean Your Loneliness Slowly Against Mine by Klara Hveberg , Alison McCullough (Translation): This is one of those books that I can’t really explain. I suppose that any book I read with lyrical prose that deals with the subject of loneliness and isolation will probably end up on my list of favorite reads of the year every single time. This book is all about love (or giving into what seems like love because of loneliness), infidelity, shame, and the impact of chronic illness, all told in an interesting format- with fractals. I won’t explain too much, but the layering of history, fiction, and the life of the author was fascinating.

There are so many quotes I wrote down, but here are just a few that I loved.

“Tell me what you read, and I’ll tell you who you are, she thinks.”

“Because if there’s one more person in the world she can have feelings for, then it would be easier to believe that there might be others too.”

“I seem to interpret everything as love.” 

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I watched the entirety of Bridgerton in one day and what a ride that was. I wrote a post about it, which is coming soon, but it was fun and I will probably end up skip-watching my favorite parts again soon. 

Love Ft. Marriage & Divorce is my and my mom’s favorite K-drama. The third season is currently being released on Netflix and even though some of our favorite actors were replaced with new ones, thus breaking my and my mother’s hearts, it’s still so good. Every episode is super dramatic, slightly to extremely ridiculous, and reminds me of Spanish-language novellas with their wild storylines. Currently looking for more scandalous K-dramas to watch asap.

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Another beautiful Vegas sunset…sometimes this city can be alright.

I’ve been enjoying the relative calm of my life lately. I realized that things are pretty simple for me right now, which is something I am immensely grateful for given the state of the world. I’m just going to revel in it for now as it will for sure not be like this forever.

I also recently got invited last-minute to see BTS in concert since I am the person my friends know as always being up for any and every concert. My friend will be coming to my city to see them and so I am tagging along as a tour guide and concert buddy…even though I’ve never really listened to BTS at all. I understand the gravity of this situation (especially since getting tickets to BTS is like winning the lottery) and so my homework for the next week will be to: 1) Memorize as many songs as possible. 2) Memorize the fan chants…or at least some. 3) Pick my bias. I am super excited to experience a BTS concert as I’ve never been to a K-pop concert ever before. Wish me luck!

That’s all from me for now! What was your favorite read of March? What are you currently reading? Thoughts on BTS?

Hope you have a lovely month!

 

Quarterly Update (Back Again!)

Published on by Ali @ In the Lost & Found2 Comments

Hello there, book friends! Yes, I’m back again. With this new Spring season, I have decided to post whatever I feel like when I feel like it rather than feel guilty about not posting regularly. I mostly blog for myself anyway. I want it to be fun and I want to interact with my book friends! I’ll probably just pop in here whenever I feel like (hopefully with at least a bit more regularity) to post about what I’m reading or have liked lately. I just don’t want to completely disappear as I always feel like it’s a community I must get back to!

For now, here’s what I have been up to and loving lately, plus some of favorite reads of 2022 so far.

I think that one of the reasons I have been writing here less is because I have gotten into the habit of journaling every single day. Getting all of my endless overthinking out of my brain and onto the page has been super helpful for me. I’ve also started a reading journal where I write quotes and my thoughts on books as I read…now to translate that to the blog.

Right now, I am using a Hobonichi Techo Cousin A5 for daily journal and a Leuchterrum1917 A5 for my reading journal with my beloved fountain pens (which is a hobby rabbit hole I have fallen deep into to the demise of my bank account). Maybe I’ll do a post on fountain pens soon since it’s kind of overtaken my life at this point.

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So far, I’ve read 24 books in 2022. Here are some of my favorites so far!

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson

Yet another Shirley Jackson novel that has found a special place in my heart. This one specifically hit hard as it intensely reminded me of when I went to university and felt wholly isolated and invisible to even myself for the better part of four years. It was eerie how accurate Jackson’s writing was to my experience and what I’m sure is the experience of so many other introverted women thrust into life alone in a new place with what feels like no one to lean on. It also dealt with relationships with parents in such an interesting way. I could go on for ages about this book…and I just might in a post in the future.

Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera, translated by Lisa Dillman

This short 114-page book was a revelation of translation. It was originally written in Spanish and features some odd use of language when translated. The translator did an amazing job transmitting the author’s originally intention through English despite the disconnect that can happen with translations. It’s hard to explain, but I found that it made the book so unique. The story focuses on immigrants to the US from Mexico in such an interesting way, honing in on language and the alienation of being in a place that doesn’t want you and that even you may not want. The style may not be for everyone, but it’s unique structure makes for a fascinating read.

Bad Fat Black Girl: Notes from a Trap Feminist by Sesali Bowen

AH! I read this on a recommendation from my cousin and was blown away. The audiobook was just so good. I can’t even articulate how much I liked this memoir. It was funny, it was insightful, it was flawless.

“People try to erase ratchet Black girls at every turn, but we are not siloed, and our impact is undeniable. In the same way that hip-hop is consumed by diverse audiences all over the world, so are the trends that are set by ghetto ass Black girls. Our style, our language, and our beauty resonate with people across different backgrounds.”

That’s all from me for now, thanks for reading! How has your reading gone for this first quarter of the year? Any favorites so far? Let me know!

Favorite Reads of October & November

Published on by Ali @ In the Lost & Found4 Comments

Hello again! It’s been two months since my last post and even though I haven’t been updating this blog as much as usual, I’ve definitely missed reading everyone’s posts and adding endlessly more books to my TBR. I had quite a busy month of October with work and November went by in a flash, so finally here I am in December with some bookish updates. I hope you, dear reader, had a lovely couple of months.

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I read several books in October and November, but there are only a few that I actually enjoyed enough to talk about. Dune, was one of them. After several years of saying to myself that I probably wouldn’t get around to reading it because I didn’t think I would like it, I was finally sucked in by the nagging feeling that I just had to read before watching the film. I am glad that I did because I enjoyed it immensely. Since it was quite a long book, I did start hitting a bit of a slump halfway through and switched to the audiobook, which helped me get through it relatively quickly.

I enjoyed the political intrigue and commentary on religion and environmentalism, along with the intricate world that was created. I still can’t stop thinking about it a month later. However, I completely understand why it is such a polarizing book. The movie did a great job explaining everything, so it isn’t completely necessary to read if you can’t bring yourself to even deal with such a hefty book (which is 100% understandable).

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XOXO by Axie Oh was another favorite from October. It was super cute, a lot of fun, and just what I needed to get through a busy month. Books like XOXO are what I call ‘books like candy’. Easy reads that don’t require ton of energy, but are perfect for when I need something happy and sweet. The friendships, the music, the romance! Perfect. I need more books like this in my life (let me know if you have any recommendations)!

Gordo by Jaime Cortez is a short story collection about families living in a migrant workers camp in 1970s California. It was a bit all over the place with various perspectives, but I enjoyed how Cortez examined the characters, without shying away from their flaws. Although I did not identify with everything in this collection, reading stories written by a fellow Chicano made me feel at home in a very particular way. It also encouraged me to ask my mom questions about my own family and their time working on farms in California, which was a nice bonus.

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I want to take this moment to address the one absolutely horrible novel that I read in October. To The Exorcist, I want to give a big WTF…because really…was ANY of that necessary? Was it? No. The answer is no and I don’t understand why this was ever given the moniker of “Most Terrifying Novel Every Written”. No. Absolutely not. I don’t think exorcism-related horror is for me.

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Thanks so much to all those that have left comments that I have yet to answer as of writing this post and who have mentioned me in any tags etc while I’ve been gone! It is so very very appreciated. I set out to create this blog as a record for myself and ended up talking about a mutual love of books with so many wonderful people all over the world. So thanks, thanks, thanks if you are reading this!

♡ Alsooooo, thanks to Morgan at Morgan is Reading Again for being all around amazing. I love they’re blog and am looking forward to catching up on all the posts she has written that I’ve missed!

♡ Thanks to Cherelle at A Bolt out of the Book for always being so supportive and spreading the book blog love. Happy one year blogiversary!!

♡ Thank you Maria at The Character Study for the shout out, I truly enjoy your blog and seeing the many different books that you are reading and creative posts you write!

Thanks for coming back and reading! I am looking forward to getting new recommendation lists and TBRs up to the blog soon. For now, I’m reading Northanger Abbey and trying to get to my goal of 100 books read in 2021. Six more to go, I think I can do it…what are you reading or looking forward to reading before the new year?

September Wrap-Up

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Hello there, here I am again with another wrap-up. In September I inadvertently read mostly all horror once again. One of my reading goals of 2021 was to read more from the genre since I had only read a couple and it looks like I’ve definitely checked that off my list. So, let’s get into it!

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The Shining by Stephen King ★★★★★ : Full review here. I really loved this book for some reason. I may read some more Stephen King now, but I’m still on the fence on that one.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware ★★★★☆ : I randomly decided to read this book and ended up finishing it in one night. A standard thriller, but I enjoyed it immensely. Maybe it’s because I haven’t read a thriller in a while and don’t have much to compare it to, but I loved how atmospheric and somewhat predictable it was.

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones ★★★☆☆ : ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley. It took SO much of my brainpower to get through this one. Full review here.

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark ★★★★☆ : Solid horror novella. The important question: will there be some sort of sequel???

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle ★★★☆☆ : The attempt to subvert the conventions of Lovecraft fell a bit flat with the lack of depth to many characters. Although I liked this story, I wanted more from it.

Goddess of Filth by V. Castro ★☆☆☆☆ : This was just so bad. I rarely say that about a book, but I truly didn’t like anything about it.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz ★★★★☆ : Ok…I was so surprised at how this one *didn’t hit* the same way as when I first read it. If I read it for the first time ever at this current stage in my life I would probably give it a 3.5 versus the five stars plus endless tears I gave it when I first read it. I still love these characters and what they did for me when I first read it, but the writing style wasn’t as impactful to me this time around. I’m still excited to read the new sequel finally coming out this month though so we can see where Aristotle and Dante are in their future!

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Two of my favorite TV shows ever are The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. Midnight Mass was written and created by the same person, which meant I absolutely had to watch it. It was eerie and disturbing in all my favorite ways, with a hint of hopefulness peeking through. It didn’t reach the level of love I have for the other two shows, but it was still a good time. It also freaked me out as a former Catholic school student still afraid of lots of things that were ingrained in me as a kid…yeah.

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So it seems that my blog has temporarily become something of a horror blog, which I’m fine with for now. I have a few other books on my shelf that I am hoping to get to in October, including some non-horror books. XOXO,The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, The Death of Jane Lawrence, and The Exorcist (the last of which I am scared, but curious to read). I’m still working on finishing Dune, which I’ve been sloooowly reading for about three weeks, but I’m liking it so far. What are you reading/looking forward to reading this month? Hope you are having a lovely start to October!

Spooky Book Recommendations

Published on by Ali @ In the Lost & Found9 Comments

The past couple of months, I have been devouring horror/crime/thriller novels of all sorts and having a grand ol’ time doing it. Something about horror in general has been bringing me an odd sense of comfort. I didn’t used to be a lover of horror books or movies, but for some reason I’ve finally found love for the genre. I wanted to put together a list of spooky books that someone who is not a fan of horror can possibly take something away from (and thanks to Sarah at Suits of Stories for the idea to post a horror rec list). So starting off with some not-TOO-scary-but-definitely-eerie stories, we have….

The Haunting of Hill House & We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson is a master of gothic horror. While her books aren’t outright frightening or shocking, they haunt with her beautiful prose about the horror of loneliness, grief, and love (which is kind of the case with gothic horror in general). I could talk for ages about how much I love her novels, they are the kind of reads that sneak up on you once you’ve finished and can’t really completely forget. Although she’s not for everyone, I would recommend reading one of these books if you are interested in gothic horror.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

This classic gothic horror novel starts a bit slow, but becomes an enthralling tale of a man’s spiral into obsession and violence. Like I mentioned with Shirley Jackson’s books, this novel depicts the extreme effects of loneliness and isolation. This is probably why I love this genre so much; it deals with things that everyone has experienced and twists them into something so beautifully terrifying that you can’t look away. The Phantom of the Opera had me at the edge of my seat by the end and gave me that lovely, feverish, can’t-put-it-down feeling that is so rare (at least for me).

The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda, translated by Alison Watts

I read this crime mystery last year and couldn’t put it down. There are some mixed reviews, but I found that the way it was written completely captivating. It’s a puzzle that the reader must solve for themselves to determine who the actual killer is. While there isn’t a perfectly tied up ending, the stories within the story and the general atmosphere of unease made it a reading experience that has been unmatched for me. I want to read this all over again. Just read this first sentence of the blurb:

The novel starts in the 1960s when 17 people die of cyanide poisoning at a party given by the owners of a prominent clinic in a town on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The only surviving links to what might have happened are a cryptic verse that could be the killer’s, and the physician’s bewitching blind daughter, Hisako, the only person spared injury.

The Shining by Stephen King

I recently finally decided to read a Stephen King book and picked out The Shining. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed every minute of it. The most compelling part about it to me, was King’s depiction of alcoholism and the horror and havoc that addiction can create. It wasn’t super scary as in gory, but it had its moments of ghoulishness.

If you want to get the full experience with the film, reading the book is a must. Thought processes and inner feelings can’t truly be translated to film and the book fills in so much that the film version of The Shining misses completely…I kind of get why Stephen King hated the movie adaptation.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

This is one of the more spine-tingling horror novels. If you keep at all updated on bookish things, you have definitely probably heard of The Only Good Indians. All of the praise is completely deserved. There is quite a bit of gore in this one, but it blew my mind with the shocking scenes and social/”final girl” commentary. It’s not just gore for 100% shock value, there is so much more to it’s horror. I think this is the only horror novel I have read so far that actually truly scared me in real life. Three words: Elk Head Woman.

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That was a fun list to put together! I have a lot more spooky books I have enjoyed and recommend so I’ll be back with those soon. Hope you found something that interested in you if you are a horror or mystery reader. Let me know any spooky books you have read or on your TBR. Thanks for reading!

August 2021 Wrap-Up || Lots of Comics, Lots of Horror

Published on by Ali @ In the Lost & Found9 Comments

Hello again! I took a bit of a break in July from a lot of things. Which may or may not be linked to me downloading TikTok. Because of that, I only ended up reading one book in July, which was The Bell Jar. I have to say, that might not have been the best decision I’ve ever made considering it was my birthday month and summer- my least favorite season. But that’s all done, and I’m finally back with some more bookish content. So here is all the stuff that I read in the month of August!

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In the Miso Soup by Ryū Murakami, Ralph McCarthy (Translator) ★★★☆☆ : I 100% do not recommend this book for people not already into horror novels or movies. Ever since getting interested in the world of Japanese horror last year, I have been wanting to pick up a book by  Ryū Murakami . It definitely did live up to the claim that it was shocking and generally vile. Loneliness and isolation permeates every crevice of this novel and the mood of it all made me feel very weird (and perhaps a bit queasy) for the couple of nights I read it. I did “enjoy” reading it and slowly discovering what was happening, but beyond shocking, especially with a certain scene (major warning for gore), it felt like there was something missing.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson ★★★★★ : This was my favorite read of August and was a story that lingered in my mind throughout the month. While I don’t think Shirley Jackson is for everyone, her brand of meandering, quiet horror is one that I absolutely love. The line, “Journeys end in lovers meeting,” continues to echo in my mind along with all the possible meanings that it could have in the context of this story. The loneliness that the main character, Eleanor, experiences was so viscerally identifiable in myself…I just want to read it again as soon as possible and visit those creaking halls of Hill House once again.

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ★★★☆☆ : ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.  Goodreads Review

Lobizona by Romina Garber ★★1/2☆☆ : Unfortunately, I really didn’t enjoy this one. There were so many plotholes, too many on-page sports games, unbelievable insta-love. The beginning chapters were intruiging and I liked where it was going, but didn’t love where it ended up.

Hunger by Roxane Gay &  I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown: Memoirs are hard to review, but these were solid and offered a valuable perspective different from my own. I’m glad I finally read these memoirs and would highly recommend the audiobooks of them!

Lovesickness by Junji Ito, Jocelyne Allen (Translator)  ★★★★☆ | Uzumaki by Junji Ito, Yuji Oniki (Translator) ★★★★☆ : These were solid, freaky horror stories by the infamous Junji Ito. There are some images from his mangas that will probably live in my head forever and most of them are from Uzumaki. Yikes.

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by Gerard Way , Shaun Simon , Becky Cloonan (Illustrator) ★★★☆☆ : I got deep into reigniting my tween fascination with Gerard Way last month, which of course included reading/watching a bunch of stuff he created (as well as breaking out my Gash Urban Decay eyeshadow that he used during the Black Parade tour). Anyway, this is a graphic novel featuring the world created for My Chemical Romance’s concept album, Danger Days. It was honestly a bit of a letdown. There was a lot going on here…I’m still not sure how I feel about it because it was so all over the place. I still love you, Gerard.

Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh ★★★☆☆ : This was alright. It was a quick read, but I wish we would have been given more. I feel like that’s the case with a lot of graphic novels, so maybe the problem is just me needing to alter my expectations when reading them.

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August was quite odd and I’m glad to finally be living in the month of September. It’s basically Halloween. I’m hoping to carve out some time to focus a bit more on this blog and check out other blogs for some reading inspiration, so let me know what your favorite read was last month or what you are reading right now. Thanks for reading! ♡

 

June 2021 Wrap-Up

Published on by Ali @ In the Lost & Found7 Comments

I’ve tried writing this post about three times and feel less and less motivated each time since June wasn’t the most exciting reading month for me. There were lots of non-book related changes life last month and I couldn’t sit down and concentrate on a book for too long…which isn’t a bad thing.

I’m slowing down on reading a bit in general (in a good way). After three years of reading a lot of books every month, I think that the pressure I placed on myself to stuff as many stories into my mind as possible is waning. I’ll still be reading, but I think I’m finally getting out of book escapism as a form of dealing with loneliness and all that. I’ll still be reading as much as my brain can concentrate on, which may be 2 books or 10 books, but the self-induced pressure has slackened a bit. I’m also turning 25 tomorrow, so that also might be why I’m feeling like I want to Change My Life™. Maybe I’ll be back to normal in a few days, who knows. ANYWAY…

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Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann, Illustrated by Kerascoët

This graphic novel was so wild that I had to call my mom and explain to her everything that was happening as I read it. It was disturbing and weird and I really loved it. If you haven’t heard of this one, here’s my pitch: Cute little creatures emerge from the dead body of a young girl and must survive the wilderness and one another. If you aren’t into blood and gore and generally morbid things, maybe steer clear of this one.

Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4) by Julia Quinn

And my award for one of my most disappointing reads of 2021 goes to this installment of the Bridgerton series! I was super excited to read more about Penelope, as she is my favorite character from the series. But alas, I ended up extremely bored by her and her entire relationship with Colin. Oh, Colin! He had so much potential as a character and a love interest, and it was all completely squandered. What a dull couple…what a boring story. What a drag. I’m still going to continue the series, but it continues to disappoint me in new and infuriating ways.

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

I was having a fun time reading the first third of this book, but as the story got more and more convoluted, I became less and less invested. I wish we would have been given a lot more information about many of the characters, including the main character, Jess. They didn’t seem as real as they could have been and there were so many little threads left hanging and unresolved by the end of the story. I’m glad I read it, but it was a somewhat disappointing.

The Overnight (Fear Street #3) by R.L. Stine

Not much to say about this one. Ridiculous, campy, trashy, amazing. All the things I like in a short slasher kinda book.

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

I absolutely loved loved loved the first story in this collection, Tower of Babylon, but the rest didn’t do much for me. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood.

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All the time I spent not reading, I was listening to music while doing nothing in particular. Here are some of the songs I had on repeat last month.

This song is Ryan Gosling…Ryan. Gosling. That man. Unmatched.

I watched one of my favorite movies, Me Without You, this month once again (because I required cinematic guidance) and this song was stuck in my head for many days after.

I’ve been listening to this album nonstop. Always a sucker for some melancholy, ghostly music about doomed love!

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That’s about it for now! I’m currently gearing up for whatever my actual quarter life crisis has in store for me…we’ll see but I think it’s going to be a good year.

 

I am going to read horror books all July

Published on by Ali @ In the Lost & Found5 Comments
The only thing I can stomach the idea of reading at the present moment is horror, which seems like an antithetical statement…but a true one nonetheless. Last month it was romance, this month it’s everything horror. I’ve been thinking a lot about this quote from Bela Lugosi and how much I love it. “It is women who love horror. Gloat over it. Feed on it. Are nourished by it. Shudder and cling and cry out-and come back for more.” Not to say that the whole vibe is gender-exclusive, because obviously not, but I still really love this. Point to the point is this: I want to be my own goth girlfriend and to get there I am going to read a bunch of horror novels next month (but absolutely no Stephen King because no). Ok. So here are the books.

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Fear Street Series by R.L. Stine

If you have yet to hear of Fear Street, all you need to know is that it is a huge series of pulp fiction horror for teens by R.L. Stine, published in the 90s before Goosebumps had even hit the shelves. For some reason, my middle/jr. high school (this is about 10-14 years old here in the US) librarian had a pretty good selection of these books, with the AMAZING covers and scandalous taglines. My classmates and I would snatch them up the second someone else had checked them back in. I will always be grateful for administration never questioning 11 year olds reading books with bloody bikini tops and scalpels on the covers. Halloween Party is still my absolute favorite! Cue the autumn winds and glorious smell of the Scholastic Book Fair.

Anyway, there is going to be an entire trilogy of movies coming to Netflix in July based on Fear Street and it’s time for me to hit the ground running reading every book I can from the series. They aren’t masterpieces of literature or anything, but they are amazing if you can appreciate the campiness of it all.

Lovesickness by Junji Ito

An innocent love becomes a bloody hell in another superb collection by master of horror Junji Ito.

Junji Ito is a legendary horror manga artist who creates gross, grisly, morbid stories that are so discombobulating that I can’t look away. I’ve been slowly working through his backlist and this one finally got put on hold for me at the library. I’ll be immediately reading this once I pick it up and try not to be freaked out by the very real possibility of Rib Women coming to find me in my dreams.

 

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

I’m just going to leave the blurb here, because it sounds so amazing on it’s own.

D. W. Griffith is a sorcerer, and The Birth of a Nation is a spell that drew upon the darkest thoughts and wishes from the heart of America. Now, rising in power and prominence, the Klan has a plot to unleash Hell on Earth.

Luckily, Maryse Boudreaux has a magic sword and a head full of tales. When she’s not running bootleg whiskey through Prohibition Georgia, she’s fighting monsters she calls “Ku Kluxes.” She’s damn good at it, too. But to confront this ongoing evil, she must journey between worlds to face nightmares made flesh–and her own demons. Together with a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter, Maryse sets out to save a world from the hate that would consume it.

Goddess of Filth by V. Castro

“Five of us sat in a circle doing our best to emulate the girls in The Craft, hoping to unleash some power to take us all away from our home to the place of our dreams. But we weren’t witches. We were five Chicanas living in San Antonio, Texas, one year out of high school.”

One hot summer night, best friends Lourdes, Fernanda, Ana, Perla, and Pauline hold a séance. It’s all fun and games at first, but their tipsy laughter turns to terror when the flames burn straight through their prayer candles and Fernanda starts crawling toward her friends and chanting in Nahuatl, the language of their Aztec ancestors.

Um. Yes! I don’t even have anything to say. I just hope the book lives up to this blurb.

Some other horror books I want to read…

This post was a bit different for me, but I have been feeling a tad uninspired and horror novels made me feel excited about reading again after a month of slogginess. Do you have any good horror, thriller, etc recommendations or are they genres you tend to avoid?