moonyreadsbystarlight's reviews
576 reviews

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

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emotional hopeful

3.5

Glennon tells her story about falling in love with a woman near the end of her marriage. With that, she is navigating unlearning so much that the world has taught her how to be -- untangling herself from that expectation. It's an incredibly important experience and perspective to put out there, especially for other people who come out later in life. I do think that parts of it could have been a bit smoother and gone a little deeper. I like that she talked about activism outside of queer spaces (being an ally to the Black community and talking about when she messed up within that), but a piece of some of that felt a little off -- maybe inflated, especially when she spoke about specific things that specific people close to her did. She was bragging on them and less on herself, but it still felt awkward to me (I'm interested to see what Black and other readers of color thought about that piece of it). I wish she would have brought in some bits of theory or writing from other people who talked about a lot of the ideas that she was getting at when it came to allyship or helping other communities because only having her perspective felt very surface-level (so much that it was distracting, at least for me). I did really like that she reflected on certain issues that she really had to fight with, including control and boundaries -- and that it was something that she even had to work through in her current relationship, which is very important to recognize.
Outlove: A Queer Christian Survival Story by Julie Rodgers

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dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

 This is an important look into modern conversion therapy and the evangelical movement from an inside perspective. Rodgers details her experience as a kid, desperate for validation, a young adult with too much faith in the system, to where they are now openly gay, in love, and navigating Christianity outside of fundamentalism. She writes with compassion and grace humanizing all involved while being honest about the pain she (and others) were in. 
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The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

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funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective

5.0

I'm in the midst of piecing together my thoughts an my emotions so that they might become an Instagram post, but it is quite difficult. Within these essays, John Green discusses specific aspects of the world and give them historical and personal context. The thought and nuance, the way he connects so many things together and brings their importance to light is incredible. This book made me desperately want to fall in love with the world.
Plenty of Hugs by Fran Manushkin, Kate Alizadeh

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lighthearted

3.0

 Pretty basic, so far as the story and words go, but I loved the art. Definitely got emotional seeing a gay couple (particularly with at least one of them as more butch/gender-nonconforming) on the cover of a kid's book 
Mommy, Mama, and Me by Carol Thompson, Lesléa Newman

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lighthearted
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex by Eric A. Stanley, Nat Smith

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informative

5.0

Throughout this anthology, there are works from scholars, activists, and those who are incarcerated. They hit on the history of prisons in US and Canada as well as the current state of people in prisons now. Looking outside of traditional prisons, they also talk about institutions such as ICE as well as foster care and charities that increase surveillance and often bring in police. 

The PIC has been used and continues to be used as a means to police queerness. Trans and gender nonconforming people, young and old, face violence from these structures. The writers also illustrate some possibilities of how to help, but also critique some efforts that only serve to expand the PIC and give more money to these institutions. 

This is a must-read for anyone interested in activism or working towards liberation of any kind.
SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki

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funny mysterious
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A

2.5

This book was a peek into this high school for magical kids. This is set up more like a comic strip collection than one cohesive story. I didn't really vibe with how sporadic the different comics were. Some of it did clearly move through time, while others were one-shots. There were pieces that were really good and pieces that I really didn't get or I found the main joke off-putting (some of the jokes were unclear, but others had aged poorly). There is one set of "main characters" to a certain extent -- Wendy and Marsha. Parts of the book, particularly towards the end gave them longer scenes and more of a story. I enjoyed the parts with more plot and there were a couple of characters that grabbed my attention, but there was so much going on that it was hard to really get into the characters (which is not great for me since I prefer more character-driven stories). It was a neat idea, but the beginning needed more direction and there were parts that could have been left out or changed to give it a clearer focus
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The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

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inspiring lighthearted
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

As I am writing this review, it is 4:30 AM because I couldn't bring myself to put this book down. This was a joy to read in so many ways. There was an adorable romance, a great best friend, and family that played an active role throughout the story. Seeing trans representation like this is almost surreal -- seeing someone transition at such a young age and receive the level of support that Spencer does. While he does encounter a lot of issues, there are also many things that don't end up being issues which is incredibly important and wonderful to see. There was a lot of complexity thematically regarding experiences of queer people in affirming vs non-affirming environments, including roles that religion can play. As someone in a state in the "Bible belt" that is one of the leading states in anti-trans legislation this year, both the aforementioned joy and themes really hit home.  

I do think that the ending was a bit rushed. There were some great scenes that I think could have been made even more effective if the last quarter of the book had been longer. And there are a few characters that I loved, but would have liked to see explored more. Over all, this was a great read that tackles some very important issues and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you to Penguin for sending me this ARC to read and review!
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The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún Vol. 5 by Nagabe

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4.0

Depart, Depart! by Sim Kern

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was a quick and interesting read. I love a book with good themes and this definitely delivered that. I really enjoyed the discussion around community, identity, and family. There were also a number of important themes layered on top of this: (very clearly) themes around climate, but also race, policing, and more.
I also really liked learning about the bits about supernatural beliefs and customs as Noah is learning about them.
I hope there is a sequel coming because I am more than ready! I want to get to know these characters even more and see more of the characters' processing the event. There was definitely some discussion of grief and trauma, but being further away from the event, I would be really interested to see what that processing will look like. 
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