Carry On

My Favourite LGBT+ Reads

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June is LGBT+ pride month, so it’s all about celebrating the LGBT+ community. Here are some of my favourite books with LGBT+ books, so you can celebrate the month by reading! They are all outstanding books to their own, and the fact that they have an LGBT+ protagonist makes me love them even more!

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
With all the awful things happening in the LGBT+ community at the moment, this is really the book everyone needs at the moment. I know quite a lot of people have read it already, so if you haven’t, you need to get on it! I loved this book so much the first time, yet I recently re-read it and enjoyed it just a little more. It’s so important, because it’s a completely happy LGBT+ novel.

 It tells the coming out story, which is usually portrayed as super stressful, and overall a really negative experience. In this book, however, Simon tells his parents he’s gay, and it goes really well for him. His parents accept him completely, his friends are fine, and everything is okay. It’s so important because it will show people that it doesn’t have to be a negative experience, and give the courage to do as Simon did

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
I’m pretty sure lots of people have read this already, but it’s still one of my favourite books (maybe of all time!!) because of how cute the romance was, and the author’s writing. I loved the magic aspect of the book, and although I would primarily class this book as a romance (because that’s what it focuses on), I was really pleased to read some diversity in the fantasy genre.

 The characters really stood out for me, too. The main character, Simon, is still discovering his sexuality throughout the book, whereas one of the other main characters, Baz, knows he’s gay. I liked this aspect of the book, because it showed a story of self-discovery and identity through an exciting and cosy fantasy story. I also thought that the romance scenes were perfect, because they were super happy, which is really the representation we need. I’m glad this fantasy didn’t follow the trope of ‘dead gays’ too!
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
I would class this book as LGBT+ fiction, but there was almost no romance in it (and none for the narrator). I really enjoyed the book because of this, as the characters’ sexualities were still explored, but this one wasn’t a coming out story either, and focused more on friendship. The platonic relationships in this book were so much more complex than most romances in other books (which is often true to real life!!), which I thought was important, because more often than not, friendships are overlooked.


I was really impressed with all the diversity in this book. I didn’t know how well the author had woven it into the story - it never felt like token diversity, yet like it was just naturally there (like in real life!!). The characters in this book were many different aspects of the LGBT+ spectrum. There was an agenda character, demisexual gay character, and the main character was bisexual, too! I liked how the other themes explored in the book were more prominent than these, because people need to learn not to trivialise people’s identities that they haven’t heard of before.


Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley
This book was one of my favourite books of last year, because it was so well written, and so so important. It’s about a black girl in the 1950s, in a mainly white school. The racism was so intense to read about, but was done in such a historically accurate (I think!) and sensitive way. I loved the main character because she was so caring and kind, yet mentally strong and managed to not let anything stand in her way. This book was one of self discovery and sexuality, and I loved the way race and being gay was explored in this context. I think this book should be required reading for everyone, because it’s sadly relevant to today’s society, and teaches a story of love and acceptance.

Half Bad and Half Wild by Sally Green
This is my favourite series of all time, so of course, I couldn’t recommend books without featuring it! It’s so exciting and dark, and the books had me gripped throughout. There isn’t much focus on identity and romance, yet Nathan (the troubled protagonist) is discovering his identity throughout the series, which intertwines so well with the way he’s trying to find belonging in a world that tries so exclude him, and where he doesn’t belong in either side.

 I would have loved this book even if Nathan wasn’t bisexual, but the fact that it was just made the book perfect! There was a really sweet romance between him and another guy (Gabriel... my precious cinnamon bun), which was so lovely. I recommend the first two books for this reason, however, the ending to the series could be taken as problematic to the LGBT+ community (as me and Anna have been discussing ever since she finished!), so I can’t recommend it for that reason until I’m sure (and sure that no-one will get mad at me for recommending a problematic book!).

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
I read this earlier this year, and it’s one of my favourite books this year. It’s one of my favourite books of all time! Unlike some of the other books featured in this list, I would say this book is pretty much entirely centered around being transgender (however it certainly isn’t a bad thing!!). I’d read very few books about transgender people before this, and because I’m cisgendered, I didn’t know much about what it’s actually like to be transgender. As well as being stunningly beautiful and heart breaking, it was really educational, and I’m more sensitive, respectful, and open-minded after reading this book.

 In addition to this, the book explored themes of family, identity, and friendship, too. David’s (the protagonist) friends were so caring and positive to his identity, yet Leo (the other protagonist) didn’t have the same experience. The contrast between their experiences was something so hard to read, yet the ending was so heartwarming, and made me smile so hard! Again, this is another LGBT+ book that had a happy ending, which is so important to see and read, especially in YA fiction.

5 Stars

Review: Carry On

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Carry On
By Rainbow Rowell

 Source: Personal purchase, hardback
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, LGBT+

 Goodreads Synopsis:

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters. 
My Review:

I loved this book so, so much. I went in having such high expectations, because I’ve read all of Rowell’s other books, and really enjoyed them all. Fantasy is one of my favourite genres too, so when I heard Rainbow Rowell was writing a gay fantasy, I knew I had to read this one straight away. It was amazing the whole way through, and has instantly become one of my favourite books ever.

The start was slow. I wondered if it was ever going to pick up, because for the first 150 pages (which is a lot, in my opinion) nothing had really happened. The style is the same, so I was enjoying all of the quirky features that I love in all of Rainbow’s books. There were so many unique touches which made the story truly magical.
It started to pick up once I was fully into the story. I know some people have accused the book of being boring, and that there was no plot, but I didn’t find that at all. Once the book had properly started, things were happening all the time, and I was constantly so engaged. There was mystery and suspense, combined with a really good fantasy. In my opinion, it was a match made in heaven!
My favourite aspect was the romance. There wasn’t much, and only began to fully develop towards the end half of the book, but every romantic scene was heartbreakingly beautiful. This book is not a love story and isn’t centered around romance; I enjoyed the kissing scenes so much that I was wishing for more. Tears of joy actually brimmed in my eyes because of how happy I was for the characters involved.
Like all of Rainbow Rowell’s books, the characters were so likeable. It was easy to be so invested in everyone - they were so complex, yet flawed, so felt so real. I adored everyone in different ways; I think Baz is my favourite character because of how many layers he has, and how we got to see so many different sides to him.
The multiple POVs in this book really worked. Usually I’m really against multiple narrators, but I liked it in this because it never got confusing. Everyone sounded so different, so it wasn’t hard to remember who was speaking. It is written in first person present tense too, which I’m normally so against, but Rowell made it work in this book, and it worked so well.

If you’re a fan of Rainbow Rowell, I’d definitely recommend this book. It has everything that you’d hope for in a book by her - the writing style is the same, so has the same whimsical feel as all of her other books have. It has quickly become one of my favourite books of all time, so I’d advise everyone to read it. There’s nothing at all to dislike.

Rating:

Asking for It

Top Five Friday #11: Yet to be Released Books I'm Most Excited For

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Top Five Friday is a meme hosted at Katieemay which lists our top 5 choices based on a bookish theme of my choice.

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There always seem to be so many books that aren’t released yet that I’m super excited for, so this topic just makes me even more excited for these books! My most anticipated are always in my calendar, so I’ll have to flick through that and see which ones I’m super hyped for!

1. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Expected Publication Date: October 6th 2015
I think I’m with most people reading this post: Fangirl was amazing! Obviously I’m super excited for the spin-off book. I also love Rainbow Rowell’s writing, so I practically know that I’m going to adore this book when it comes out!

Goodreads Synopsis:
Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

2. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Expected Publication Date: March 8th 2016
I am a massive fan of all Cassandra Clare’s books, so when I heard that she’d be releasing another Shadowhunter series, I could not contain my excitement! This is going to be pre-ordered as soon as I can - this is going to be another amazing series by her. Why did it have to be moved to 2016?!

Goodreads Synopsis:
Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

3. Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick

Expected Publication Date: November 10th 2015
All of Becca Fitzpatrick’s books are such guilty pleasures for me... I know I really shouldn’t like them, but I end up loving all of them. I definitely will be buying this book as soon as possible, because although the plots always seem a bit on the iffy-anti-feminist side, I always end up really enjoying Fitzpatrick’s work.

Goodreads Synopsis:
Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.

After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.

But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.

As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks…

4. Asking for It by Louise O'Neill

Expected Publication Date: September 3rd 2015
I really loved Louise O'Neill’s other book Only Ever Yours, so I’m anticipating loving this one just as much. Again, it’s on a really hard-hitting and important topic, so obviously I’m going to read it. A feminist book by one of my new favourite authors? Yes please!

Goodreads Synopsis:
It's the beginning of the summer in a small town in Ireland. Emma O'Donovan is eighteen years old, beautiful, happy, confident. One night, there's a party. Everyone is there. All eyes are on Emma. The next morning, she wakes on the front porch of her house. She can't remember what happened, she doesn't know how she got there. She doesn't know why she's in pain. But everyone else does. Photographs taken at the party show, in explicit detail, what happened to Emma that night. But sometimes people don't want to believe what is right in front of them, especially when the truth concerns the town's heroes...

5. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Expected Publication Date: September 1st 2015
It wouldn’t be a real most-anticipated list without Queen of Shadows. Ever since I finished Heir of Fire at the start of March, I’ve been dying to get my hands on this book. I adore Sarah J. Maas’s writing style, and I’m in love with the Throne of Glass series, so I just know that I’m going to love this book.

Goodreads Synopsis:
Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

What are the books that are yet to be released that you are most excited for? Let me know below!