alexandriaslibrary's reviews
190 reviews

Simpatía by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón

dark reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Longlisted for the International Booker, Simpatía is surprisingly accessible and plot-driven. Set in Caracas Ulises is married to Paulina who is estranged from her father Martín. However, Ulises and Martín start a friendship even after Paulina leaves the country. When Martín dies, he leaves Ulises the apartment he shared w Paulina, and his beautiful giant estate as long as Ulises promises to transform it into a dog sanctuary. (In the novel and in real life, Venezuela has had major political turmoil with over 7 million fleeing, causing a surplus of abandoned dogs.)

There’s a motley crew of characters who must work together to build the rescue, musings about dogs, the political history of Venezuela, dysfunctional family dynamics, and The Godfather. All in all, an enjoyable read and although there are dark moments, it’s not a slog or overly depressing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death and Murder

Fairest: A Memoir by Meredith Talusan

emotional hopeful reflective

4.5

A perfectly crafted memoir in my opinion! Meredith Talusan is an albino, trans woman from the Philippines who immigrated to the US as a teen and attended Harvard in the 90s. 

Interesting on so many levels: what does being albino mean in a colonized country that idolizes whiteness? How can you separate your own talent and intelligence with your perceived experience? What is the cost of beauty? What was queer life like at an Ivy League college in the aftermath of the AIDs epidemic? 

Incredibly well-written, funny and alarmingly honest. Talusan is not afraid to reveal her insecurities or her less proud moments. All on the journey of coming out as a woman at the turn of the century.

Bugsy and Other Stories by Rafael Frumkin

dark funny reflective medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Five short stories on the longer side (around 45-50 pages each) about mental health, queerness, sex work, and the modern condition. 

I wish I would’ve liked these a bit more, the scenes are well built out and the dialogue is nice, but I think for me, personally I was turned off by the premise and plots. While some might like more “taboo” or “edgey” stories I think they aren’t necessarily for me. In one story a character drops out of college and finds solace working production in a Dominatrix porn dungeon. Another follows a newly 18-year old Twitch streamer whose obsessive fan plans to surprise her with diamond earrings. 

People Collide by Isle McElroy

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Eli & Elizabeth are a newly married-for-convenience pair of writers. Elizabeth is a child of artists & Eli is from New Jersey. At the opening, Elizabeth has a teaching fellowship in Bulgaria and Eli, a former bartender, is along for the ride. However Eli realizes that somehow him and Elizabeth have swapped bodies and she (in his body) has disappeared.

This is the basic enough summary, but I wouldn’t recommend this book if you want action or sci-fi/spec fiction. It’s much more about the psychology of this couple (class differences, physical attraction, art) than anything else, however the dialogue and characterization is top notch!

Maria, Maria: And Other Stories by Marytza K. Rubio

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

Magical realism stories about brujería, primarily set in Southern California (or post-apocalyptic socal). Very adventurous and unique—some stories have illustrations which is always a great add—some stories follow a brujería teacher, old high school friends who peak into parallel universes to see the different lives (and deaths) of a classmate, a woman who buries her husband, and sisters who recount a famed vampire pop icon. 

The final story is a novella about powerful and mystical women named Maria, and while it was imaginative, I think it was slightly more fantastical than I’m used to! 

On the whole, it’s a great collection if you’re interested in some witchy stories, but most felt slightly reliant on the novelties of the worlds.

Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly

funny reflective medium-paced

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

Valdin & Greta are adult siblings who we follow for 6ish to 12ish months in New Zealand. This felt like reading a mini series a la Modern Family or Schitt’s Creek. Charming and funny while having sincerely touching moments, the entire blended queer Māori-Russian-Catalonian family is a hoot (and so complicated the character list at the beginning definitely comes in handy)

Greta is finishing up her grad program while dating 

Valdin is trying to get over his ex (who is also his Uncle’s brother-in-law) 

Other family members are estranged, runaways, polyamorous, coming out.

Reminded me of Gunk Baby, The Rachel Incident, All This Could Be Different 

Thank you to Avid Reader Press for the copy, all thoughts are my own

Gods of Want: Stories by K-Ming Chang

dark funny reflective medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

K-Ming Chang has such a unique voice, and it's perfect for me. A blend of the poetic and the horrific, bodily and queasy. These stories compliment each other thematically and stand out as some of the most original and brilliant fiction of our time! 

Throughout these stories women of Taiwanese descent bicker, turn into animals, disappear, fuck, and test the bonds that unite them. You feel so present in these pages, sweaty and grimy or exhilarated and alert. Also sooooo gay <3 

Bell, Book and Dyke: New Exploits of Magical Lesbians by Julia Watts, Karin Kallmaker, Therese Szymanski, Barbara Johnson

adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

I love finding older lesbian books! Bell, Book and Dyke features four novellas about lesbians and witchcraft. The first “Sea Witch” is the most “magical” and singular in its action over romance. It follows a coven as strange storms and magic continues to pop up in their idyllic beachside town.

The second novella “By-The-Book” is about a stunt double who discovers she is a witch. This one was my least favorite by far, just felt a little gruff and complicated.

“Unbeliever” is a bittersweet tale of an agnostic twin who grapples with her lack of faith while her sister is dying of cancer. Then she meets a witch who might change her outlook.

Finally, “Skyclad” is probably the most contained story. A coven led by High Priestess Chameleon fights back after their petition for an adopt-a-highway sign is denied 

All of the stories helped me feel in touch with an older generation of lesbians & had some not-bad spice  

Fair Play by Tove Jansson

lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Tove! After loving The Summer Book, I am delighted to find that Fair Play is just as charming and even more astute.

Perfect for lovers of Frog and Toad, Jonna and Mari are two older artists who live together on a remote island off the coast of Finland. Pulled from Jansson’s relationship with her partner of over forty years with Tuulikki Pietilä, the book is never explicit, but the two characters have a pure love and respect for each other. We see their movie nights, bickerings, artistic practices, and devotion. Only 100 pages but staggering in its vulnerability.

Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer

informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I’ve just finished and am at a loss for words. In just shy of 500 pages Blizter has crafted such a cohesive look at the last 40 years of the US relationship with immigration and Central America (mainly El Salvador with later sections focusing on Guatemala and Honduras.) I learned something on every page, I laughed, I cried, I gasped aloud. 

Weaving together the personal narratives of people seeking asylum and those creating asylum legislation, Blitzer attempts to show the intricate and ever-evolving relationship between the United States and Central America. After every chapter (written so accessible for the amount of detail and politics they contain) I would call my Dad or friends to ask if they knew about different policies, facts, or movements.

This is a great read for anyone who is trying to educate themselves on a topic that is at the forefront of our news cycle especially in an election year.  

Thank you so much Penguin Press for sending this my way and to the author for documenting this so concisely.