courtofsmutandstuff's reviews
1333 reviews

Trap Line by Timothy Zahn

4.0

I'm familiar with Zahn from his Star Wars books but this read very much like an Andy Weir read where Toby has to science the shit out of his problem. It is very short and a quick read, and while the story is self-contained, I'm very intrigued to know more about this world and what happens next. Recommend if you're looking for a "get out of a bind through scientific reasoning" quick read. 

Chef's Kiss by TJ Alexander

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I really loved this! It started off being very cozy but then the transphobia hits - I still really loved this book, but it was a tonal shift from the light, slow burn, workplace romance, but I really did love the video crew's support of Ray. I also loveeeeee hurt/comfort, and loved that Simone took care of Ray after their surgery. This was a very quick read for me! 
I highly recommend this BUT do be forewarned that you see a lot of workplace transphobia. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia

Moderate: Medical content

I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I picked this up for the Trans Rights Readathon and went in based on the cover and dedication, and was pleasantly surprised it was an Emma retelling in particular, not Austen in general. I loved how Conner adapted it but also made it completely unique, and I loved George as a character in particular (Ellie is a typical Emma character with all her strengths and frustrations). 
If you love queer books and Jane Austen, definitely pick this up! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming

Wanted: Toddler's Personal Assistant: How Nannying for the 1% Taught Me about the Myths of Equality, Motherhood, and Upward Mobility in America by Stephanie Kiser

3.0

This was fine and a quick read. The title caught my eye in the library, but I was expecting more of the book to focus on the nannying for the wealthy, but it was about 50/50 her life before nannying and her time as a nanny. Kiser (pronounced Kaiser) alternates between her early life through college years and her time as a nanny, and while it's not entirely chronological, she has a clear progression of things she covers. She does eventually show and reveal that her family were typical Trump voters (even before Trump was a candidate), but she doesn't spend as much time talking about her evolution away from the perspectives of her family and becoming more liberal beyond reading Hilary Clinton's Hard Choices while studying abroad and in general being in college. It feels like she could have explored this more, especially as the book is not terribly long. 
Kiser experienced a lot of trauma in her life - her parents really struggled with the poverty line and she talks about how shouting and chaos were typical parts of her life growing up. I think her memoir could have focused more on her young life, but I did pick this up because of the wealthy nanny angle; also, it sounds like she was trying to be mindful of her family's privacy while still telling her own story. 
If you like memoirs, this is a quick read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Eating disorder

Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa

5.0

I love how in every universe Papa Bennet is a good dad. 

I love Jane Austen and queer books and this was a really good, quick read and combination of the two. It does a good job of keeping the essence of Pride and Prejudice (and several plot points), but also truly is an adaption with unique plot points and changes. The only thing I didn't like was at the end,

that Collins hired Wickham - I prefer the idea that Wickham lied about that because Collins did seem confused, but mostly because I hate what that means for Charlotte being married to him </spoilers> but it wasn't anywhere near a dealbreaker. 

Highly recommend if a queer Austen retelling sounds like your cup of tea. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming

Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward

4.0

There's some aspects that haven't aged well, but it's a relatively fun supernatural farce. 

The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez

5.0

A nice, quick read! I liked the forced proximity and how much of a good guy Seth is - very tonic masculinity. No spice, but very, very good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking

Minor: Violence

Oathbound by Tracy Deonn

5.0

I did a full relisten before book 3, and while I enjoyed it, it also threw me off for the audiobook for Mariah's POV - that narrator does a different accent for both Mariah and Valec, and especially her Valec accent was so different from the Bree narrator it really threw me. I did like the multi-POV, but was a little disappointed it was abandoned halfway through the book, but structure wise I understand why it happened. And like the other two books, Oathbound has a big finish!
Also, Bree makes some big choices at different times in this installment, but I do like where she ends up at the end of the book. 

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

5.0

As someone who has a hyperfixation on certain infectious diseases, and loves listening to John Green talk about tuberculosis, my only disappointment is the book wasn't longer. I wanted more!

Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman

4.0

I honestly wanted to shake Nick and Charlie during the second third of this book (mostly Charlie).