Not Just a Tomboy ~ Caspar Baldwin

Rating: 4/5 Baldwin's memoir is the only book I've read detailing gender dysphoria and transition for a trans man. Baldwin brings up a point I hadn't considered, but that rings true in my experience: trans men are not talked about nearly as often as trans women. When I consider my experiences with media and books, …

Miss Iceland ~ Audur Ava Olafsdottir

Happy Book Birthday! Rating: 3/5 Written in a very different style than most books, this was a refreshing novel. I was not overly thrilled with any of the characters. I almost felt as though we were intentionally kept distant from the characters' emotions. Like the cool teenagers smoking cigarettes vibe, where they won't let you …

The Five Year Plan ~ Carla Burgess

Rating: 2/5 Orla is a young journalist, living in London at the start of her book. Aiden is a wildlife photographer/activist, and an old flame of hers. When he comes into town and they run into each other at an exhibition for some of his wildlife photography, the past gets dredged up for them both, …

Sharks in the Time of Saviors ~ Kawai Strong Washburn

Rating: 4/5 Sharks in the Time of Saviors is an emotional voyage. Sharks is a story of Hawaii, and the feeling of Hawaii under the skin for native islanders. Alternating perspective but beginning with their mother Malia and ending with their father, this book was an emotional gut punch that I"m still recovering from. Dean …

Female Husbands ~ Jen Manion

Rating: 4/5 Female Husbands is a nonfiction history of trans-ing gender in America. Beginning in the colonial era, Manion has clearly put the work in to give readers a picture of how gender trans-ing occurred many centuries ago. Early queer pioneers began adopting male appearances and social habits for a variety of reasons, from wanting …

Three Apples Fell from the Sky ~ Narine Abgaryan

Rating:3/5 Three Apples Fell from the Sky follows an Armenian woman named Anatolia through various parts of her life, and the life of the town. You may be thinking to yourself, towns don't live lives. This one seems to. This is magical realism on par with the writing style of One Hundred Years of Solitude, …

Beyond Trans: Does Gender Matter? ~ Heath Fogg Davis

Rating:4/5 Beyond Trans is a very specific and timely look at gender as a classification and discrimination. Heath Fogg Davis shares personal stories and narrative style research from several people with regards to ways in which their gender identification has limited or inhibited their ability to move through the world. Many of the people involved …

The Similars ~ Rebecca Hanover

Rating: 5/5 Man, oh man, this was quite the fascinating read. Quick paced, this book was unlike other horror-esque novels I have read recently. Although I often steer clear of horror, this came across my radar as a book about clones. I can't remember why I decided to pick it up, as that was quite …

The Hazel Wood ~ Melissa Albert

Rating: 3/5 I was not thrilled by this book as I expected to be. In fact, I found the first half of the book downright boring. The second half had a bit more action and more of the fairytale elements I was looking for. Alice was pretty whiny throughout the whole story, and kind of …

A Dream Called Home ~ Reyna Grande

Expected publication Tuesday October 2nd, 2018! Rating: 5/5 I'm a sucker for memoirs, but Grande's memoir is so beautiful and makes me want to read the rest of her body of work immediately! Grande's writing is vivid, yet feels simple and approachable. It's clear the amount of effort she put into picking just the right …