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Queer Lit Readathon wrap-up

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It’s been a few weeks, but here’s a belated summary of my Queer Lit Readathon reading.

This Winter by Alice Oseman checks off Background Romance, Non Coming Out and Winter Vibes. I thought Tori was Ace according to canon, so that  This Winter would count for Ace/Aro MC, too, but I think I may have been wrong about that.

Love Lives Here by Amanda Jette Knox was my pick for Adult Fiction/Nonfiction (the latter, obvs), ???, and See Yourself (I am Cis, and so is Amanda).

George by Alex Gino covers Pre/Non-Medical Transition.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta covers #ownvoices, BIPOC MC and MC Not Like You.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales was picked for Retelling, but also works for Host Rec and Queer Friends.

Lumberjanes vol. 9: On a Roll squeezed in to cover Graphic Novel.

So that’s every square checked (well, with some doubt about Ace/Aro MC), except the group read. I ordered Summer of Everything by Julian Winters at the same time as Only Mostly Devastated, and it was supposed to arrive on time according to the estimates from the shop, but alas. It would have been a challenge to finish it within the readathon week in any case, but without the book in hand it was obviously impossible. It has arrived now, though, so it will be read eventually.

I have, to a certain extent, been prioritising reading over blogging about the books I’ve read over the last few months (if not longer), so to make sure I get these written up I will stick to a very brief summary of my thoughts for each of them here, rather than pretend to myself that I’ll do a proper review of them at some later point.

This Winter by Alice Oseman is a novella that takes place after the three volumes of Heartstopper that are already out and before Solitaire (which I’ve since read). It is narrated by the three Spring kids, Tori, Charlie and Oliver, who each get a section in order of age from oldest to youngest. It is also illustrated in Oseman’s characteristic style. The whole of the plot takes place on Christmas day. The book comes with a content warning, in that it references mental illness and eating disorders and includes «ignorant views regarding mental illness» (a wording which I particularly liked).

Tori and Charlie are trying to put a rather rough autumn/winter behind them, and for Tori that means trying to protect Charlie as well as dealing with her own «disasterous» life. Charlie seems to want to escape from himself (and his family). Oliver mainly wants someone – preferably his elder siblings – to play Mario Cart with him. The novella is a moving and insightful portrait of a family dealing with mental illness, and of how everyone is unavoidably tied up in the situation, though the way they try to deal ranges from trying too hard to help to pretending nothing is wrong (or even, in the extended family, making fun of the whole thing).

This is Tori:

I walk back into the kitchen. Mum is still washing up. I walk up to her, and her face looks like stone. Like ice, maybe. There’s a pause, and then she says, ‘You know, I am trying my best.’

I know she is, but her best isn’t really good enough, and it shouldn’t be about how she feels anyway.

(Page 44.) It’s hard not to feel like the Spring parents are fumbling at their parenting job, but as a parent myself, who has not had personal experience with mental illness, I’m not all that sure I’d have done a much better job. Well, in fact, that is very much one of the reasons why I read books – like these and in general – in order to learn, to get the perspective of the struggling teens, in this case, letting me see the world from their point of view.

Here’s Charlie:

I should explain about the argument with Mum and all the arguments we’ve had over the past few weeks. I should explain how difficult it is to keep trying to do better when there are so many people who just refuse to understand how hard it is. I should explain that I barely slept last night because I was so anxious about dinner and, even though I actually did quite well, I still felt like everyone was watching me, waiting for me to fuck up and ruin the day.

(Page 72.) I started reading Solitaire at the tail end of the readathon, and I’m looking foreward to making my way though all of Oseman’s books, probably in the near future (I have purchased them all, so it’s just a matter of finding the time).

I came across Amanda Jetté Knox on Twitter a while back, and have been meaning to read her  well, I guess we can call it a memoir? Love Lives Here was a very interesting, and in parts moving read. Someone on Goodreads called it a bit of a Trans 101, and I suppose there is something in that, if you’ve already read a bit about the issue and you’re looking to understand more about transness in itself, this is perhaps not where you should go.

I did, however, find it interesting to get the coming-out-as-trans stories from the point of view of a cis woman, since I myself am cis, and moreover from the point of view of a parent. There is also quite a lot of discussion about advocacy, about being public as a family of supportive individuals, and being public in general. When Amanda’s partner suggest she uses her parenting blog as an advocacy platform, Alexis (then out as trans boy, now non-binary) makes a point:

«You should do that!» Alexis agreed. «When I searched for trans kids in Canada, I couldn’t find any stories of families who were supportive. Not one. We should be that one.»

(Page 99.) The frequency of sucicide and suicide ideation is already much higher in trans and non-binary kids, how much worse is a Google-search that tells them they will be thrown out from home and shunned by everyone they love going to make that situation? It is admirable to out oneself out there as the (sensible but apparently unusual) alternative: The loving and accepting family.

Interesting as this was, though, the next book I pick up about trans issues will be by a trans author. Time for some #ownvoices to teach this old cis lady about the myriad of human experience.

I read Rick by Alex Gino, which happens after George chronologically, a few weeks before the readathon. A pity, since it would have worked beautifully for Ace/Aro. Ah, well. In terms of order it didn’t make all that much difference to me that I read them «the wrong way round», but Rick does spoil George (quite a bit, and not just on the coming out parts which you could probably take a guess at either), so if you can stick to the proper order, do.

George is a sweet story, very much not intended for 46-year-olds. Which doesn’t mean we can’t read it, obviously, and certainly doesn’t mean we can’t learn from it. I don’t suppose it’s too much of a spoiler to say that it’s a book about being trans. In fact, if so, the synopsis will spoil it for me. George/Charlotte is lucky enough to have a best friend that sticks with her, a mother who, despite taking some time, comes round and an older brother who takes it all in his stride:

«Weird. But it kinda makes sense, No offence, but you don’t make a very good boy.»

«I know.»

(Page 156.) Which feeds into the theme from Love Lives Here: If we are going to make progress, we (and most especially trans/LGBTQ+ kids/teens) need stories with happy endings and families that are able to adjust and stick together and love one another, or else coming out is just going to remain as terrifying as it must have been for centuries.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta was already on my TBR pile, suggested to me by who knows. The combination of it ticking several bingo boxes and being a relatively quick read, being in verse, made it the perfect pick for the readathon.

The narrative being from the first person perspective and the verse form combine to make this a hard-hitting read. The book fits the prompt «MC Not Like You» perfectly, Michael is my opposite in every element of the snappy shorthand descriptions we use to group people. He is male, mixed-race, gay and gender bending, I am cis female, white and straight. Even so, it is not difficult to empathise with Michael’s exploration of his identity, and his emergence towards the end of the book as ‘The Black Flamingo’, fierce, in drag, and wholly himself, is a triumph the reader shares.

Interspersed throughout the narrative are standalone poems by Michael. Here’s an example:

I Come From

I come from shepherd’s pie and Sunday
roast, jerk chicken and stuffed wine leaves.
I come from travelling through taste buds
but loving where I live. I come from
a home that some would call broken.

I come from DIY that never got done.
I come from waiting by the phone
for him to call. I come from waving
the white flag to loneliness. I come from
the rainbow flag and the Union Jack.

I come from a British passport
and an ever-ready suitcase. I come from
jet fuel and fresh coconut water.
I come from crossing oceans
to find myself. I come from deep issues
and shallow solutions.

I come from a limited vocabulary
but an unrestricted imagination.
I come from a decent education
and a marvellous mother.

I come from being given permission
to dream but choosing to wake up
instead. I come from wherever I lay
my head. I come from unanswered
questions and unread books, unnoticed
effort and undelivered apologies
and thanks. I come from who I trust
and who I have left.

I come from last year and last year
and I don’t notice how I’ve changed.
I come from looking in the mirror
and looking online to find myself.
I come from stories, myths, legends
and folk tales. I come from lullabies
and pop songs, hip-hop and poetry.

I come from griots, grandmothers
and her-story tellers. I come from
published words and strangers’ smiles.
I come from my own pen but I see
people torn apart like paper, each a story
or poem that never made it into a book.

(Pages 217-218.)

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales was suggested by one of the hosts for the «Retelling» prompt and I’m glad we crossed paths.

I found it to be a clever reworking of the Grease plot. In place of Sandy and Danny we find Ollie from California, plonked down in North Carolina because his parents want to stay near his aunt (who is very ill with cancer), and Will, basketball jock, definitely not out. The supporting cast is both charming and interesting (a bit like in the movie) and help bring the story to life. Quite apart from the summer-romance-oh-now-we’re-at-the-same-school-and-that-is-not-who-I-am-here plot, there are other echoes of Grease, not least in the gradual realisation of Ollie’s that while he is finding the situation tough, so is Will, and that if they want to have a chance at an actual relationship they both need to give as well as take. Even down to the words and phrases there are echoes. I feel the title (a phrase that appears in the book, too) sounds like «hopelessly devoted» in some intangible way (and it made me hum the song every time I thought about the title), but those words also appear:

If I didn’t cut Will off cold-turkey, I’d end up pining over him, all hopelessly devoted, and hurt, and unrequited.

(Page 79.) It’s been quite a few years since I last watched Grease, but I’m positive that a careful side-by-side comparison would reveal even more details that the two have in common than the many I spotted.

It’s more of a YA romance than I would normally read (I may be growing old after all, I have grown out of teen romance…), but the revamped Grease story and the nicely handled theme of coming out – how different the experience can be depending on your family, friends and local community (Ollie from liberal-minded California has been out «forever») – made it a much more interesting read than the plain boy-meets-boy-and-after-some-obstacles-they-live-happily-ever-after romance story.

The Lumberjanes series is a firm favourite in this house. Some time in the autumn I resolutely purchased all the volumes we were missing from Waterstones. They propmtly disappeared into the teen’s room, but I have been asking for them back in order so I could (re)read the whole thing chronologically. In volume 9: On a Roll our heroes, the Roanokes, find an overground roller derby track and challenge a group of Sasquatches to a game, in order to help the neighbourhood Yetis whose digs the Sasquatches have taken over. This being Lumberjane-country, the track turns out to have… well, deadly booby traps.

It’s unabashedly queer (yes, in both senses) and undeniably weird and unendingly charming.

Alle bøkene har jeg kjøpt sjøl.

Bout of Books 30: Sign-up and progress post

Mirthful Leave a comment

As usual, I will be participating in Bout of Books. I have previously found it a good way to kickstart my reading for the year. I will also (as usual) stick my daily updates in this post rather than add a new one per day.


Bout of Books

The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 4th and runs through Sunday, January 10th in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 30 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Today is day one, and I am all set to go, I just need to get through this little matter of thefirstworkingdayoftheyear first.

Monday

Finished:
A Presumption of Death – Jill Paton Walsh (inspired by Dorothy L. Sayers) p 135-372
Where the sidewalk ends – Shel Silverstein p 176-183 (reading aloud with the youngest)

Started:
The Land of Green Ginger – Noel Langley p 1-20

Instagram challenge:

 

Se dette innlegget på Instagram

 

Et innlegg delt av Ragnhild Lervik (@lattermild)

Once I’d finished the book I had to ad a comment to my own Instagram post:

You know what? Scratch that. When I wrote the above I was just about half-way through, and Lord Peter had just turned up. Now I’ve finished and I really don NOT think I will spend any further time on Walsh’s versions of Peter and Harriet. She does a decent job on the details of the characters, the setting and landscape, and to a certain extent the plot, but she completely fails to capture the relationship between Peter and Harriet, the dialogue feels clunky and the attempts at continuing Sayer’s version of Harriet’s internal dialogue is almost embarrassing. I might get rid of this one alltogether rather than risk rereading it again in a fit of «but I want MORE» the next time I reread Sayer’s books.

Tuesday

Continued:
The Land of Green Ginger – Noel Langley p 21-158

Started:
Lighting Girl #4: Superpower Showdown – Alesha Dixon p 1-25 (reading aloud with the youngest)

Instagram challenge:

 

Se dette innlegget på Instagram

 

Et innlegg delt av Ragnhild Lervik (@lattermild)

Wednesday

Finished:
The Land of Green Ginger – Noel Langley p 159-288

Continued:
Lighting Girl #4: Superpower Showdown – Alesha Dixon p 26-32 (reading aloud with the youngest)

Would have picked up a new book after Green Ginger, but went to check Twitter quickly and ended up doomscrolling the domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol in DC instead.

Instagram challenge:

 

Se dette innlegget på Instagram

 

Et innlegg delt av Ragnhild Lervik (@lattermild)

Thursday

Started
Forsvarlig behandling – Unni Cathrine Eiken p 1-40
The Outlaws of Sherwood – Robin McKinley p 1-12

Continued:
Lighting Girl #4: Superpower Showdown – Alesha Dixon p 33-45 (reading aloud with the youngest)

Instagram challenge:

 

Se dette innlegget på Instagram

 

Et innlegg delt av Ragnhild Lervik (@lattermild)

Friday

Continued:
Forsvarlig behandling – Unni Cathrine Eiken p 41-98
Lighting Girl #4: Superpower Showdown – Alesha Dixon p 46-60 (reading aloud with the youngest)

Saturday

Continued:
Forsvarlig behandling – Unni Cathrine Eiken p 98-169
Lighting Girl #4: Superpower Showdown – Alesha Dixon p 61-75 (reading aloud with the youngest)

Sunday

Finished:
Forsvarlig behandling – Unni Cathrine Eiken p 170-304

Continued:
Lighting Girl #4: Superpower Showdown – Alesha Dixon p 76-91 (reading aloud with the youngest)
The Outlaws of Sherwood – Robin McKinley p 12-32

Summary

That’s 959 pages in total, which is pretty good going for one week even if it would have been more satisfying to hit 1000. After the events of Wednesday, the official updates and events of the readathon were toned down to a minimum, understandably, and I fell out of the loop Instagram-wise. Hopefully we can return in May (Bout of Books 31 is scheduled from May 10th to May 16th) in a world where the orange cheeto is a nobody (preferably in jail) and where the mob of Wednesday have discovered the little something that is the consequences of their own actions. We’ll see.

Leseåret 2020

Mirthful 3 Comments

Det er på tide å ta et tilbakeblikk på 2020. Som notert i august, når det opprinnelige målet på 80 var nådd, er antallet bøker lest betraktelig høyere enn i 2019.

Oversikten fra Goodreads har ikke oppdatert seg helt, antallet skal være 140. 140! Det er altså nesten 100 flere bøker enn i 2019. Hva har skjedd? Vel, jo, jeg har tidvis vært streng med meg selv og sagt at «Nå SKAL du lese 20 sider før du får legge fra deg boka!» Men først og fremst har jeg lest bøker jeg har lyst til å lese, og i år har jeg tydeligvis hatt lyst til å lese bøker. Long may it last.

I ren lykkerus har jeg justert opp målet for 2021 fra de 80 jeg har hatt de siste årene til 100. Og jeg har allerede lest ferdig min første bok i år, så dette går så langt strålende.

Skjermdump fra Goodreads med 2021 Reading challenge mål på 100 bøker.

Vel, det var antall. Vi får ta en titt på statistikken, hva?

35 % gjenlesing og 65 % nye (for meg) bøker tilsvarer det jeg har ligget på de siste årene, og det er en fordeling jeg lever godt med. Når ingen bøker fenger er det veldig greit å plukke ned en gammel favoritt fra hylla, da vet man i alle fall at boka er bra og slipper å investere tid i noe som kan vise seg å være bom.

Kjønnsfordelingen i år er 36 % menn, 50 % kvinner, 9 % «both» og 5 % queer. Jeg fant ut at jeg måtte legge til den siste kategorien for å synliggjøre de trans og ikke-binære forfatterene jeg leser. Når poenget er å overvåke mangfold (eller mangelen på mangfold) i hva jeg leser er det litt dumt å kategorisere f.eks. Alex Bertie som hvit mann, selv om det jo er korrekt om man skal forenkle ned til ren binær inndeling. Jeg tenker at tallet for «queer» her godt kan bli høyere, men ellers er jeg vel nogenlunde fornøyd.

Geografi og hudfarge, derimot… Joda, tallene er bedre enn de har vært de siste årene, men BRA kan jeg vel ikke akkurat si at de er. For å ta geografien først: 30 % UK, 29 % USA, 27 % Norge, 9 % Canada og 1 % hver for Kina, Japan, India og Australia.

Det må vel kunne sies at det er rom for forbedring? Tallet for ikke-hvite forfattere er oppe på 16 % (fra 10 % i fjor). Det er jo på vei i riktig retning, og det er jo snakk om en del bøker, faktisk, siden totalen var såpass stor (og gjenlesingsbøkene er i liten grad av melaninrike forfattere, så av nye bøker og forfattere jeg har valgt å lese er andelen ikke-hvite oppe i 24 %). Vi kaller det forbedring, men konstanterer at det fortsatt er forbedringspotensiale også.

På LGBTQ+-fronten er også tallene forbedret, andelen bøker med streite hovedpersoner er sunket til 64 %. 24 % er en eller annen form for ikke-streit (11 % er markert «ikke relevant», det dekker en del av sakprosaen jeg har lest, f.eks.).

Jeg har ikke akkurat lest planmessig, så utfordringer har det blitt dårlig med. Men jeg konstanterer at jeg har truffet 10 av 24 punkter på Book Riots Read Harder, og det er jo noe.

Jeg har kopiert 2020-regnearket og startet å logge for 2021. Vi du også ha regneark anbefaler jeg å sjekke Portal in the Pages på YouTube, det er hennes variant fra et par år tilbake jeg har basert mitt på.

Bøker lest 2021

Mirthful Leave a comment
Title Author Date started Date finished Re-read?
Busman’s Honeymoon Dorothy L. Sayers 20201230 20210101 Yes
Thrones, Dominations Dorothy L. Sayers, Jill Paton Walsh 20200101 20200103 Yes
A Presumption of Death Dorothy L. Sayers, Jill Paton Walsh 20200103 20200104 Yes
Where the Sidewalk Ends Shel Silverstein 20201220 20200104 No
The Land of Green Ginger Noel Langley 20210104 20210106 No
Forsvarlig behandling Unni Cathrine Eiken 20210107 20210110 No
The Outlaws of Sherwood Robin McKinley 20210107 20210115 Yes
Min vei Ruth Reese 20210115 20210118 No
You Can’t Touch my Hair Phoebe Robinson 20210118 20210125 No
Ompa-Pa og tveskalp René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo 20210127 20210127 Yes
Asterix på Korsika René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo 20210127 20210127 Yes
Asterix – Spåmannen René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo 20210127 20210127 Yes
The Handmaid’s Tale Margareth Atwood 20210125 20210131 No
Lightning Girl Superpower Showdown Alesha Dixon 20210105 20210130 No
Men du ser ikke syk ut Ragnhild Holmås 20210131 20210202 No
Svartebok for deg som vil opp og fram: En smart guide til jobb og penger Helena BrodtKorb, Ida Jackson 20210202 20210203 No
The Magic Misfits Neil Patrick Harris 20210203 20210204 No
A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel Madeleine L’Engle, Hope Larson 20210205 20210205 No
Animorphs 1: Invasjonen K.A. Applegate, Michael Grant, Chris Grine (ill.) 20210207 20210207 No
The Mental Load: A Feminist Comic Emma 20210207 20210207 No
The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel Margareth Atwood, Renée Nault 20210209 20210209 No
Jeg lever et liv som ligner deres Jan Grue 20210208 20210211 No
ElfQuest: The Grand Quest Volume 9 Wendy and Richard Pini 20210222 20210222 Yes
Frontier Follies: Adventures in Marriage and Motherhood in the Middle of Nowhere Ree Drummond 20210222 20210224 No
ElfQuest: The Grand Quest Volume 10 Wendy and Richard Pini 20210223 20210224 Yes
ElfQuest: The Grand Quest Volume 11 Wendy and Richard Pini 20210224 20210225 Yes
ElfQuest: The Grand Quest Volume 12 Wendy and Richard Pini 20210225 20210226 Yes
ElfQuest: The Grand Quest Volume 13 Wendy and Richard Pini 20210227 20210228 Yes
ElfQuest: The Grand Quest Volume 14 Wendy and Richard Pini 20210228 20210301 Yes
How to Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual Rebecca Burgess 20210302 20210302 No
Pengesnakk Lise Vermelid Kristoffersen 20210301 20230302 No
Sovjetistan Erika Fatland 20201110 20210307 No
The Twins at St. Clare’s Enid Blyton 20210308 20210309 Yes
The O’Sullivan Twins Enid Blyton 20210309 20210310 Yes
Summer Term at St. Clare’s Enid Blyton 20210310 20210311 Yes
Second Form at St. Clare’s Enid Blyton 20210311 20210312 Yes
Claudine at St. Clare’s Enid Blyton 20210312 20210312 Yes
Fifth Formers at St. Clare’s Enid Blyton 20210312 20210313 Yes
First Term at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210313 20210313 Yes
Second Term at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210313 20210314 Yes
Summer Term at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210314 20210314 Yes
Boy Trouble at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210314 20210314 Yes
More Trouble at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210314 20210315 Yes
The Tennis Term at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210315 20210315 Yes
Summer Camp at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210315 20210316 Yes
Into the Fourth at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210316 20210317 Yes
The Hockey Term at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210317 20210317 Yes
Fourth Year Triumphs at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210317 20210318 Yes
The Ghostly Term at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210318 20210318 Yes
Fifth Year Friendships at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210318 20210318 Yes
Secret Letters at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210318 20210319 Yes
The Unforgettable Fifth at Trebizon Anne Digby 20210319 20210319 Yes
Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide Isabel Quintero, Zeke Peña 20210320 20210321 No
The October Man Ben Aaronovitch 20210320 20210324 No
False Value Ben Aaronovitch 20210325 20210401 No
What Abigail Did That Summer Ben Aaronovitch 20210402 20210403 No
First Term at Malory Towers Enid Blyton 20210403 20210404 Yes
Second Form at Malory Towers Enid Blyton 20210404 20210405 Yes
Third Year at Malory Towers Enid Blyton 20210405 20210406 Yes
Upper Fourth at Malory Towers Enid Blyton 20210407 20210407 Yes
In the Fifth at Malory Towers Enid Blyton 20210407 20210407 Yes
Last Term at Malory Towers Enid Blyton 20210407 20210408 Yes
Dette blir mellom oss Alexander Kielland Krag 20210414 20210414 No
Before I Had the Words: On Being a Transgender Young Adult Skylar Kergil 20210403 20210414 No
Hvordan bli en (skandinavisk) feminist Marta Breen 20210415 20210417 No
Tiananmen 1989: Our Shattered Hopes Lun Zhang, Adrien Gombeaud, Améziane 20210416 20210417 No
Nå heter alle Sorry Bart Moeyaert 20210301 20210418 No
Dragonsong Anne McCaffrey 20210421 20210422 Yes
Dragonsinger Anne McCaffrey 20210422 20210423 Yes
Pengeplanen Lene Drange, Tore Løchstøer Hauge 20210423 20210423 No
Life As A Unicorn: A Journey From Shame to Pride and Everything In Between Amrou Al-Kadhi 20210421 20210425 No
If I was Your Girl Meredith Russo 20210426 20210429 No
On a Sunbeam Tilley Walden 20210419 20210429 No
Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer Rick Riordan 20201219 20210505 No
Lappjævel! Kathrine Nedrejord 20210506 20210508 No
The Mother of All Questions Rebecca Solnit 20210509 20210512 No
Din kamp er min kamp Kamzy Gunaratnam, Martine Aurdal 20210513 20210516 No
Heartstopper, vol. 4 Alice Oseman 20210519 20210519 No
Wonder R.J. Palacio 20210518 20210521 No
I am J Cris Beam 20210422 20210526 No
Arbeiderpartiet og 22. juli Hallvard Notaker 20210528 20210531 No
Mjøsa rundt med mor Bjørn Hatterud 20210529 20210603 No
Owl Diaries #5: Warm Hearts Day Rebecca Elliot 20210603 20210603 No
We Will Not Cancel Us: And Other Dreams of Transformative Justice adrienne maree brown 20210606 20210606 No
Delicates Brenna Thummler 20210606 20210606 No
Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass Mariko Tamaki, Steve Pugh 20210607 20210607 No
Freshwater Akwaeke Emezi 20210607 20210609 No
Teen Titans: Beast Boy Kami Garcia, Gabriel Picolo 20210609 20210609 No
Giovanni’s Room James Baldwin 20210610 20210611 No
Be Gay, Do Comics Matt Bors (Editor) 20210612 20210612 No
A Room of One’s Own Virginia Woolf 20210613 20210616 Yes
Penga og livet Anne Hoemsnes, Jorun Sofie F. Aartun 20210621 20210621 No
Fra Shakespeare til Knausgård Janne Stigen Drangsholt, Therese G. Eide 20210624 20210626 No
Et liv forbi Helga Flatland 20210627 20210628 No
Buffy By er inspirert Ingeborg Arvola 20210301 20210702 No
Lønnsslaver Daria Bogdańska 20210629 20210702 No
Radio Silence Alice Oseman 20210620 20210704 No
Once a Girl, Always a Boy: A Family Memoir of a Transgender Journey Jo Ivester 20210706 20210709 No
22. juli – og alle dagene etterpå Tonje Brenna 20210706 20210713 No
Little House in the Big Woods Laura Ingalls Wilder 20210709 20210710 Yes
Little House on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder 20210711 20210712 Yes
On the Banks of Plum Creek Laura Ingalls Wilder 20210712 20210713 Yes
By the Shores of Silver Lake Laura Ingalls Wilder 20210715 20210716 Yes
Farmer Boy Laura Ingalls Wilder 20210715 20210717 Yes
The Long Winter Laura Ingalls Wilder 20210717 20210718 Yes
Little Town on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder 20210718 20210720 Yes
These Happy Golden Years Laura Ingalls Wilder 20210721 20210722 Yes
The First Four Years Laura Ingalls Wilder 20210722 20210723 Yes
Ingen fred å finne – 22. juli ti år etter Stian Bromark 20210723 20210726 No
Utøyakortet Snorre Valen 20210726 20210726 No
Man kan fly en galning men inte gömma sig för ett samhälle Ali Esbati 20210802 20210807 No
Ubesvart anrop Nora Dåsnes 20210807 20210807 No
Bare én kom tilbake Randi Johansen Perreau 20210807 20210811 No
Hva skjedde egentlig med deg? Jenny Jordahl 20210812 20210812 No
Ikke akkurat Lykke Monika Steinholm 20210812 20210815 No
Eric Terry Pratchett 20210805 20210816 No
Hør her’a Gulraiz Sharif 20210817 20210818 No
En seksti under Tor-Håkon Gabriel Håvardsen 20210616 20210819 No
This One Summer Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki 20210820 20210820 No
I’d Rather Be Reading Anne Bogel 20210709 20210821 No
Selv om sola ikke skinner: et portrett av 22. Juli Stian Bromark 20210823 20210825 No
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden Mannie Murphy 20210825 20210826 No
Trost i taklampa Alf Prøysen 20210827 20210828 No
Kiss Number 8 Colleen A.F. Venable, Ellen T. Crenshaw 20210829 20210829 No
Keeperen og havet Maria Parr 20210802 20210829 Yes
Aldri tie, aldri glemme AUF 20210826 20210902 No
Osebol Marit Kapla 20210903 20210906 No
Verden på vippepunktet: Hvor ille kan det bli? Dag O. Hessen 20210904 20210910 No
Min skyld – En historie om frigjøring Abid Raja 20210913 20210914 No
Vi puster fortsatt Yohan Shanmugaratnam 20210911 20210915 No
Snøkattprinsen Dina Norlund 20210916 20210916 No
Dragonsong Anne McCaffrey 20210917 20210918 Yes
Dragonsinger Anne McCaffrey 20210918 20210919 Yes
Dragondrums Anne McCaffrey 20210919 20210920 Yes
Bare vent. Babybobla illustrert. Hanne Sigbjørnsen 20210923 20210924 No
The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures Noelle Stevenson 20210925 20210925 No
Twins Varian Johnson, Shannon Wright 20210926 20210926 No
Det periodiske system Primo Levi 20210916 20210929 No
Norsk kvinnehistorie på 200 sider Hege Duckert 20210929 20210930 No
Matmakt på butikken Siri Helle 20211001 20211001 No
Lucy Liz Elwes 20210911 20211002 No
84 Charing Cross Road / The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street Helene Hanff 20211003 20211004 Yes
Q’s Legacy Helene Hanff 20211004 20211005 Yes
Underfoot in Show Business Helene Hanff 20211005 20211006 Yes
Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner 20211011 20211017 No
So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed Jon Ronson 20210704 20211018 No
Mine venner Monika Isakstuen 20211018 20211018 No
O bli hos meg Lene Ask 20211018 20211018 No
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Someone Who’s Been There Cheryl Strayed 20211018 20211020 No
Peppermø Malin Lindroth 20211020 20211021 No
Letter from New York Helene Hanff 20211022 20211026 No
Herrarna satte oss hit Elin Anna Labba 20211027 20211030 No
Victor & Nora Lauren Myracle, Isaac Goodhart 20211030 20211031 No
Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir Tyler Feder 20211031 20211101 No
Fange i natt og tåke Trygve Bratteli 20211102 20211107 No
Red Dwarf Grant Naylor 20211024 20211112 Yes
Regnbuesommer Camilla Otterlei, Tiril Valeur 20211003 20211115 No
Secrets of Camp Whatever Vol. 1 Chris Grine 20211117 20211117 No
Derfor må du vite at jeg er same Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen 20211107 20211118 No
Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass Lilah Sturges, polterink 20211128 20211128 No
Jenta som elsket fabeldyr Sylvia Douyé, Paola Antista 20211129 20211129 No
Fødselsdag Ida Jackson 20211124 20211129 No
Jeg lyver når jeg må Line Baugstø 20211129 20211202 No
Tvillingenes dagbok Ágota Kristóf 20211205 20211206 No
Arkin 1: Hemmeligheten H.L. Phoenix 20211209 20211209 No
The Puppy Place #9: Pugsley Ellen Miles 20211202 20211202 No
Nordlys 4: Trollriket Malin Falch 20211209 20211209 No
The House in the Cerulean Sea T. J. Klune 20211203 20211209 No
Dragonsong Anne McCaffrey 20211210 20211212 Yes
Dragonsinger Anne McCaffrey 20211212 20211213 Yes
Dragondrums Anne McCaffrey 20211214 20211216 Yes
Bow & Arrow Ida Larmo 20211219 20211220 No
The White Dragon Anne McCaffrey 20211219 20211221 Yes
Tegnehannes jul Hanne Sigbjørnsen 20211224 20211224 No
The Renegades of Pern Anne McCaffrey 20211222 20211224 Yes
Asterix og griffen Jean-Yves Ferri, Didier Conrad 20211225 20211225 No
All the Weyrs of Pern Anne McCaffrey 20211226 20211228 Yes
The Dolphins of Pern Anne McCaffrey 20211228 20211229 Yes

Girl, Woman, Other – Bernadine Evaristo

Mirthful 2 Comments

I read Bernadine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other this summer, but the book, and it’s characters, have stayed with me. And this is just going to be a very short review, partly because my backlog is looooong, partly because I find I have very little to say when I come to talk about excellent books (it’s much easier to elaborate criticism than praise).

Really the only thing I have on my con list is that when I got to the end of the first section about Amma and realised that she would only figure as a supporting character in the other sections, I felt the same kind of loss or frustration that I do when I come to the end of a short story; «Is that it? Is that all I get?» Which is why I hardly ever read short stories.

But, I don’t know, the narrative technique grew on me, and though I would have LOVED a whole novel about Amma (and several of the other characters), this particular novel works precisely because you get 12 different stories. And then the last chapter and epilogue wraps it up so splendidly that I really cannot fault the book at all.

Boka har jeg kjøpt sjøl.

Queer Lit Readathon TBR

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Background Romance: Meaning a book where the romance isn’t the point of the book, it’s just there.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon has been suggested on the @queer_lit Instagram, and I recently purchased it.

Group Read: Summer of Everything by Julian Winters.

I’ve ordered this (and Only Mostly Devastated, see below), just hope it gets here in time.

Adult Fiction/Nonfiction: Read an adult book that is either fiction or nonfiction.

Love Lives Here by Amanda Jette Knox, also ticks the box for Nonfiction November.

???: Choose Your Own Category – tells us what it is in your TBR

Hør her’a by Gulraiz Sharif. This autumn’s big thing to talk about here in Norway.

Non Coming Out: Read a story that does not have a coming out

Ace/Aro MC: Read a book with an asexual/aromantic main character.

I belive Radio Silence by Alice Oseman will work here, but I’m not sure. I’d read Loveless, but as I just read it it seems like cheating to read it again.

Pre/Non-Medical Transition: This means a trans main character that is pre medical transition, or one that has no desire to physically transition.

George by Alex Gino.

See Yourself: Read a book where a character shares an identity of yours.

The Ace/Aro book will do here, though I guess I’m demi- rather than completely a-.

#ownvoices: Read a book that has been written by an author with that identity

BIPOC MC: Read a book with a main character that is Black, Indigenous, or a person of color.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta – would also tick off #ownvoices, I guess?

Winter Vibes: Read a book that gives you feelings of winter.

This Winter by Alice Oseman.

Host Rec: Read a book recommended by one of the hosts

Well, I guess The Deep would count here.

Queer Friends: Read a book about queer friends

Can I reread? Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me would tick off both this and the graphic novel prompt, and I feel like I should reread it anyway, I sped through my first read (I always do). Come to think of it, it’d do for non-coming out, too. I’m open to suggestions, though (though I’m running short on time to get hold of new books).

Graphic Novel: Read a graphic novel

Retelling: Read a retelling of a fairytale, classic story, or the such.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales as recommended by @queer_lit sounds like fun and is a possible candidate.

MC Not Like You: This is open to of a different sexuality, gender identity, nationality, ethnicity – just read diversely

Well, let’s say The Black Flamingo for this one, too.

Expect changes, but at least I have a plan… Sort of.

TBRs from other participants (lots of tips for books to read in the future here!):

Barske ramperim – Harry Graham, gjendiktet av Gustav Lorentzen

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Jeg har kjøpt Barske ramperim på noe tidspunkt (kan den ha vært på Mammut, mon tro?) og satt den i hylla til eldstemann. Her om dagen henviste hen til den som «boka som fikk meg til å begynne å like svart humor» og mente at jeg burde lese den om jeg ikke hadde gjort det alt. Så det gjorde jeg. Og… altså, det smerter meg å kritisere noe Gustav Lorentzen står bak, men dette holder ikke helt mål.

På den positive siden: Illustrasjonene av Harald Kolstad er fine, og funker bra med tematikken i diktene. Og jeg er ikke (lenger) i målgruppa for dette her. Det er lenge siden Alle-barna-vitser var morsomme. Og hen som er i målgruppa synes tydeligvis at det er morsomt. Det er kanskje det viktigste.

Men jeg skal komme med mine innvendinger likevel. Diktene er altså gjendiktet av Lorentzen, basert på dikt av Harry Graham. Jeg synes forlaget kunne spandert på seg å få med Grahams navn på bokas omslag, for å være ærlig, men Graham mister nok ingen nattesøvn av utelatelsen, da han døde i 1936. Og nettopp det gjør at min tidligere påstand om ikke å være i målgruppa viser seg å ikke stemme helt. I henhold til Wikipedia ble Graham av The Times sammenlignet med Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll og W. S. Gilbert (som i «Gilbert and Sullivan»), mens The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography hevder at Graham var en tidlig innflytelse på P. G. Wodehouse. Og verkene til både Lear, Carroll, Gilbert og Wodehouse er jeg i aller høyeste grad i målgruppa for. Det er ingen grunn til å tro at Graham heller hadde barn som (primær) målgruppe. Faktisk er Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes tilgjengelig hos Project Gutenberg, og i introduksjonsdiktet henviser Col. D. Streamer, aka Harry Graham, til «to children of maturer years (From Seventeen to Ninety-nine)» og sier:

Fond parent, you whose children are
Of tender age (from two to eight),
Pray keep this little volume far
From reach of such, and relegate
My verses to an upper shelf,—
Where you may study them yourself.

Så fryktelig morsomme synes jeg nok ikke Grahams dikt er heller, men de inneholder mer lek med språket og til dels mer subtil humor enn sine norske etterkommere. Her er et eksempel som forekommer i begge utgaver i omtrent samme form. Graham’s Self-Sacrifice:

Father, chancing to chastise
His indignant daughter Sue,
Said, «I hope you realize
That this hurts me more than you.»

Susan straightway ceased to roar.
«If that’s really true,» said she,
«I can stand a good deal more;
Pray go on, and don’t mind me.»

Blir i norsk språkdrakt til Den oppofrende far:

Maria lå med stumpen opp
og hylte som en gris,
mens faren dasket løs og ga
en salig omgang ris.

Det her er mye vondere
for meg enn deg, sa han.
Da snudde ungen seg og skrek:
Så slå så hardt du kan!

Her har jeg flere problemer med gjendiktingen. Det første er at formen for avstraffelse gjøres overtydelig. Det er kanskje nødvendig, da vi på 2000-tallet (heldigvis) ikke automatisk tenker på ris når det omtales at en far irettesetter sin datter. Men med det mister teksten noe av subtiliteten, for det første, og for det andre bruker Lorentzen fire linjer på det Graham får sagt på to, og i et åttelinjers dikt utgjør det en stor forskjell. Om det er plassmangel som gjør det, eller bare andre språklige problemer er jeg ikke sikker på, men andre vers mister snert av at Maria/Sue får langt mindre å si. Dessuten «skriker» hun på norsk, noe som ikke er på langt nær så morsomt som det mentale bildet jeg får av et overlegent kast med hodet av «Pray go on, and don’t mind me». Og så har vi problemet med at på engelsk rimer linjene ABAB CDCD, mens på norsk er det bare andre og fjerde linje i hvert vers som rimer, dvs ABCB DEFE, noe som ikke er på langt nær så elegant.

Og det gjennomgående inntrykket i den norske versjonen er nettopp et litt klønete og tungrodd språk som bare rimer deler av tiden. Og når humoren er såpass plump og/eller makaber som den er (også i orginalen) må den løftes av språket for at det skal bli lesverdig. Det skjer ikke her.

Boka har jeg kjøpt sjøl.

 

Queer Lit Readathon

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Queer Lit Readathon is a readathon I’ve seen others participate in before, most notably @hiddeninabook on various platforms. But for once I’ve caught whiff of the ‘thon before it starts rather than after the act, so this time I’m going to participate.

Round 6 runs from November 29th to December 5th in your timezone. For the details, watch Kathy Trithardt explain on YouTube (or read the video description, which has all the useful links and everything), or go to Rogan Shannon’s blog post about it.

There are 16 challenges, and since the same book can count towards several, the obvious goal is to tick them all off. I’ll have to dig through my TBR and see what sort of plan I can come up with.

Sakprosa

Mirthful 4 Comments

Erika Fatlands nye bok, Høyt, står på innkjøpslista mi. Men den er ikke funnet «verdig» i vurderingen av hva som skal kjøpes til alle landets biblioteker gjennom innkjøpsordningen. Det er faktisk intet mindre enn en skandale. Bedre blir det ikke når du ser på de andre sakprosabøkene som ikke fikk plass de siste årene. Helene Uris Hvem sa hva? er jeg nettopp ferdig med. Jeg eier mitt eksemplar, hadde jeg ønsket å låne den på biblioteket måtte jeg satset på at mitt bibliotek hadde råd – og har prioritert – å kjøpe den inn selv. Shazia Majids Ute av skyggene har jeg planer om å lese snart. Jeg kjøper den kanskje, jeg har økonomi til sånt, men heller ikke den er det noen garanti for å finne i hyllene i mitt lokale bibliotek.

Sånn kan vi jo ikke ha det? Jeg har lest en del dårlige romaner (uten at jeg skal argumentere for at de ikke skal bli kjøpt inn), men den norske sakprosaen jeg har lest har vært fra middels bra til fantastisk, og det er helt uforståelig for meg at disse bøkene ikke skal finnes på landets bibliotekhyller (eller rettere sagt: At det skal være opp til den regionale økonomien å bestemme om de finnes) slik at de er tilgjengelige for hele den norske befolkningen, uavhengig av personlig økonomi.

Og da er fokuset mitt bare på lånerne og leserne. Men den mangelfulle innkjøpsordningen påvirker selvsagt også forfatternes økonomi, ikke minst får en sakprosaforfatter mindre royalties per bok enn en skjønnlitterær forfatter. Hvorfor det, sier du? Jo nettopp fordi det er mindre sjanse for at boka blir kjøpt inn. Det blir for dumt.

Skarve 25 millioner er det regnet ut at det vil koste å utvide innkjøpsordningen for sakprosa slik at den favner like bredt som ordningen for skjønnlitteratur. Det har vi faktisk råd til.

TLDR: Jeg støtter sakprosaforfatternes opprop: Sakprosaens urettferdige kår

Counting by 7s – Holly Goldberg Sloan

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In the summer of 2018 the eldest brought a classmate along on a trip to the cabin. That classmate brought books along, as you do, and one of them was Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan, which was left on the living room table and which I picked up and started reading late one evening when I had finished my own book but was not quite ready to call it a night. I read just a few pages, but enough to tell me I wanted to read more, and some time later I asked to borrow the book. When I picked it up again this summer I started at the beginning, but this time I finished what I’d started.

Counting by 7s is the story of Willow Chance. She lost one set of parents when just a baby, but was adopted by a loving couple. Unfortunately when she has just started middle school they are both killed in a car crash, and Holly is left without any relatives or other adult support network. She is promptly taken in, temporarily, by the Nguyen family, consisting of Patti, Mai and Choung-Hoy, on the insistence of Mai who has come to know Willow because her brother sees the same (not very good) councellor, Dell Duke, as Willow. Willow is seeing a councellor because she was suspected of cheating when she got all the answers correct on a test despite seemingly not paying attention in class at all. Willow is… not like other kids.

I posted on Instagram that I had been intrigued by the start of the book and that half-way through I was still intrigued. And so I remained, until the very end, when the story fell flat on its face and I was snapped out of my suspended disbelief and realised that I’d been uneasy about aspects of the story for quite a while. Regarding the ending I will refrain from too much comment as it will spoil the book entirely, but this Goodreads review by TheBookSmugglers (BEWARE SPOILERS, obviously) sums my feelings up perfectly.

Willow is charming as a character in a book, in real life she may be harder to deal with. There is never any actual diagnose mentioned in the book (if there is, I missed it), but it is pretty obvious that we are intended to read her as being «on the spectrum», i.e. Asbergers/Autistic. Her interests are not those of other kids her age and her inability to pretend to care about «normal kid things» has left her pretty much friendless.

I tried to roll with it.
But what I learned and what was being taught had no intersection.
While my teachers labored over the rigors of their chosen subject, I sat in the back, pretty much bored out of my mind. I knew the stuff, so instead I studied the other students.
I came to a few conclusions about the middle school experience:
CLothing was very important.
In my opinion, if the world were perfect, everyone would wear lab coats in educational settings, but that was obviously not happening.
The average teenager was willing to wear very uncomfortable attire.

(Page 33.) And so a new start at a new school has not really helped, but once she gets involved with the Nguyens and with Dell Duke and the fortuitous taxi driver Jairo, she subtly gets under their skins and starts to change their lives for the better. Or… not so subtly, perhaps. I’d be inclined to agree with another Goodreads review, this one by Shelley:

An excellent introduction to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl phenomenon for kids. Watch the quirky, plucky, feisty, vocabulary obsessed orphan genius change the lives of everyone around her, just by existing. Whoo.

It’s all a little too neat. There is also an element of slightly troublesome, well, exoticism. Willow is «a person of colour», the Nguyens are of Vietnamese descent and, well, lets say it doesn’t feel much like an own voices story (which it isn’t, and doesn’t pretend to be, I suppose).

So.

I’m not saying «Don’t read it!» It’s not terrible, and it has been amply blessed with awards, so a lot of people like it. But there are better books out there. Ok, so maybe I am saying «Don’t read it.» I’m not sure the initial charm makes up for its somewhat serious drawbacks.

Boka har jeg lånt av venner.