Does listening to audiobooks count as reading? Here it does. Let’s discuss your favorite reads — or listens.
Expectation: An exploration of criminal justice inequities framed around the true story of one of the “Central Park jogger” teens.
Reality: While the verses are beautiful, the story and characterizations fell victim to typical YA tropes versus breaking new ground.
Expectation: A light-hearted English mystery.
Reality: Darker than expected with a somewhat problematic undertone.
Expectation: A queer classic focused on a middle aged man trying to find connection with one of his students.
Reality: The day-in-the-life structure is as tedious as it is engrossing, but this rightly deserves to be in the canon of exceptional queer literature.
Expectation: A dark comedy dismantling social media influencer culture.
Reality: A mix of ideas that don’t always meld together nicely but debut author Isle McElroy took some risks with plot and characterization that paid off.
Alison Bechdel’s seminal graphic memoir about coming out and family secrets has been banned in libraries because of its nudity and depictions of consensual sex, but it is an important deconstruction about the ripple effect of code-switching and life in the closet.
Expectation: A decades-spanning exploration of lust, love and monogamous monotony.
Reality: Smart, funny and heartfelt, Hill brings his characters to life in vivid detail while translating macro ideas about society into intimate, meaningful moments.
Expectation: A noir crime mystery with Mandel’s signature observations about life and culture.
Reality: Dreadfully slow and utterly pretentious, thankfully the author’s storytelling has improved since her debut.
Expectation: A trauma-fest ripped from the headlines.
Reality: A surprisingly balanced and detailed microhistory of early 1990s racial tensions in Los Angeles. The story had many layers that were explored in detail without making this feel like an agony dump.
Expectation: An exploration of the trials and tribulations of a queer mountain lion navigating an increasingly difficult life in Los Angeles.
Reality: Not necessarily queer but highly engrossing with a wonderfully executed ending.
Expectation: A dramedy about two messy best friends navigating early adulthood in Ireland.
Reality: A surprisingly relatable story that succeeds, even though our main characters — Rachel and James — are difficult to love.
Expectation: Rich social commentary about urban, middle-aged and non-white queer life.
Reality: Uneven and heavy handed, the collection felt rushed and lazy.
While Baum’s love of New Orleans’ inhabitants and history is apparent, this well-written and researched – but horribly overstuffed and scattershot – book is not nearly as interesting as he thought it would be. All-in-all, this would appeal most to people who like day-in-the-life narratives, but for those looking for history or insight about Hurricane Katrina and rebuilding New Orleans will be left disappointed.
Descriptive writing — delivered through his one good finger — paired with well-placed curse words and Ndopu’s flair for the flamboyant, brought his journey at Oxford to life in vivid detail. While he presents scenario after scenario of him being treated as less than by “Uprights,” this isn’t about sour grapes.
While there were a few laugh out loud moments within each of the 18 essays, “Wow” didn’t fully capture my attention.
Expectation: A novel that will keep you laughing through tears as you experience the “living funerals” of our five lifelong friends.
Reality: Some paper-thin characters and melodrama masquerading as legitimate emotion overshadow the few bright spots in the story.
Expectation: A depressing exploration of life for an underemployed immigrant during the Great Recession.
Reality: Buoyed by the charm of the main character and a fantastic audiobook performance by Rossmery Almonte, this was far more entertaining than anticipated.
Expectation: Honestly, I’m not sure but it wasn’t a short story collection masquerading as a novel.
Reality: Interesting concepts overshadowed by unlikable characters and absolutely zero plot. While a step forward in writing for the author, this was a dull read.
Expectation: A smart, timely commentary on celebrity culture and self-esteem.
Reality: All of that plus laugh out loud funny. I was compulsively entertained from start-to-finish.
Expectation: A classic retelling of David and Goliath but set in a mental institution in the 1960s.
Reality: It has not aged well, and I barely finished it.
Expectation: A timely and highly literary story about plagiarism and diversity set against the backdrop of the publishing industry.
Reality: A dark, shocking and highly engrossing novel that dismantles so many hot button issues in less than 400-pages. Unfortunately the last third lost steam.
