October 29, 2012 · 8:19 PM

ANNOUNCEMENT: LGBTQ Book Blogger Directory

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I have been dreaming about a directory of blogs that review LGBTQ books for pretty much the entire time I’ve been blogging. In the past few months, however, I started to realize that hey, maybe instead of waiting around for this magical unicorn of a project to spontaneously happen, perhaps I could MAKE it happen.

So I am.

While the LGBTQ Book Blogger Directory is still in its very, very early stages, it now actually exists as a (granted, very empty) blog. To help me get everything up the ground, I hope you’ll sign up via the embedded Google form.

To be eligible to be listed, you must:

  1. Have a blog.
  2. Read and review LGBTQ books.

That’s it. As long as you read and review books containing LGBTQ characters or topics/themes, the niche of your blog does not matter.

Any questions, comments, ideas, or concerns can be left on this post or emailed to bonjourcass at gmail dot com or lgbtqbookblogs at gmail dot com.

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October 28, 2012 · 2:14 PM

Lazy Sunday: All Hallow’s Read and Frankenstorm Attacks!

I was so excited to see that Ana and Amy had organized an All Hallow’s Read book swap this year. Spoiler alert: I have a…weakness for any and all surprise book swaps. It just so happened that my giftee for this swap was Kelly from The Well-Read Redhead, the winner of my Banned Books Giveaway. (In case you’re curious, I sent her a copy of Coraline.)

Kai from Fiction State of Mind sent me an adorable package containing a Frankenweenie tote bag, Zombies Hate Stuff, and Blink Once, a YA novel. Thanks Kai!

In other news, I’m trying to not get freaked out about the impending doom of a storm that’s hitting the East coast. Last hurricane, my family in Connecticut lost power for days and it had trees fall on their house and all sorts of other fun things that I’m totally not worried about happening here. Ahem.

There’s probably some kind of battery charger for iPads, huh? Obviously I don’t have enough time to find one of those, but I am really glad I have so many print books to choose from so I’ll never be without reading material.

Yes, that concern comes vaguely before food.

PS I still haven’t bought myself a single book for my birthday. But I DID buy a new dress, wallet, and purse. I guess dresses come vaguely before books which come vaguely before food. ;)

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Filed under Lazy Sunday, Personal

October 26, 2012 · 3:37 PM

Queer Library: It’s My Birthday and I’ll Add to My Library If I Want To

20121026-153132.jpg

Today is my birthday and I am busy being glamorous and day-dreaming about all of the books I should treat myself to.

Any suggestions?

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Filed under GLBTQ, Personal, Queer Library

October 23, 2012 · 12:39 PM

Top 10 Tuesday: Books to Get You In the Halloween Spirit

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. 

  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: An adopted family of ghosts? Yes, please.
  • Horns by Joe Hill: You know when you wake up and suddenly you have horns growing out of your head and people can’t stop telling you terrible secrets? Rough AND incredibly entertaining.
  • The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: A terrifying house and super smart, witty characters. I want to reread this book all the time.
  • The Crucible by Arthur Miller: I read this in high school around Halloween and then we went to Salem, MA, to visit the museums focusing on the witch trials. The play is now and forever linked to Halloween fun for me.
  • Nocturnes by John Connolly: Scary Short Stories for Adults
  • Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell: The (original) illustrations are scarier than most of the stories. I used to read these by flashlight under the covers of my bed.
  • Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill: Blackwater is pretty much the scariest.
  • Zombies vs Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier: Light hearted fun with unicorns. I have no complaints.
  • Danse Macabre by Stephen King: King’s look at horror movies and novels and radio. If there’s anything I love more than horror movies and novels and radio, it’s critical analysis of those things.
  • Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson: OoooOOooo she can’t remember things when she wakes up and her husband may be fucking with her on purpose! OoooOOoooOO

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October 16, 2012 · 9:01 AM

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite LGBTQ Authors

top tenTop Ten Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. I will entirely admit that I narrowed down today’s list based on the projection of how loudly I would squeal excited I would be if one of the authors had a new book coming out. 

Top Ten Favorite LGBTQ Authors

  1. Patrick Califia: The first Califia book I read was Public Sex: The Culture of Radical Sex,which I borrowed on a whim from my college library. It ended up changing the way I see myself, the way I think about sex, and the way I identify with the LGBT community. Later on I read Sex Changes: Transgender Politics, a book that I still use as my go-to recommendation for anyone interested in learning more about transgender folks. There’s even an essay in Sex Changes where Califia analyzes Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues in relation to Minnie Bruce Pratt’s S/He(the book I love most ever) and I pretty much had a brain explosion because of the awesomeness. And in case you doubt me, I just counted my bookshelf and it turns out I own fifteen Califia books, including a couple first editions. He’s kind of a big deal.
  2. Jack Halberstam: Female Masculinity is one of the most important non-fiction LGBT books ever published. Every time I read a book by Halberstam I know I am going to have capital-t Thoughts and actually have to use my brain and it makes me so very happy.
  3. Zoe Whittall: I’ve written about how much I loved Holding Still For As Long As Possible and Bottle Rocket Hearts. What I like most about Whittall is that she doesn’t write about Issues, she writes about people. I feel like I know all of her characters, that they could be friends of mine, and after reading dozens of novels with LGBTQ characters that were all about the Issues instead of the actual people those Issues affect, nothing is more welcome.
  4. Patrick Ryan: His YA novel Gemini Bites, about twins (a boy and a girl) who fall for the same maybe-vampire, was the most original novel I read in 2011. His other YA novel, In Mike We Trust, surprised me by avoiding usual coming-out tropes. It sometimes feels that all YA novels featuring LGBTQ characters follow the same plot (oh no I might be gay! OH NO I MIGHT BE GAY! Fight/homophobic attack/outing followed by careful tolerance by others) and Ryan’s novels stand out for avoiding that plot.
  5. Leslie Feinberg: Stone Butch Blues: A Novel should be (and in some places is) required reading. If you are afraid you might be a robot, try reading this book: if you don’t tear up even a little, you are indeed a robot. I also highly recommend Transgender Warriors : Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman, a great look at the complexities of gender throughout history.
  6. Dorothy Allison: You’ve probably know her for her award-winning novel Bastard Out of Carolina: A Novel, an examination of class and violence and strength. I’m also a big fan of her non-fiction work Skin: Talking About Sex, Class And Literature.
  7. Emma Donnoghue: I appreciate any author who can write sweet romance novels like Landing, a non-fiction examination of love between women in literature, and a mainstream work like Room. I’m always excited to see what direction she’s going to take next.
  8. Sarah Waters: I don’t love every Waters book the way some people do, but I do appreciate that she is a literary author pretty much writing literary lesbian romance novels. I’m glad she’s around.
  9. Michelle Tea: I felt Valencia changing me while I was reading it.
  10. Helen Boyd: There aren’t a lot of non-exploitative books by cis partners of trans folks, so Boyd’s books seemed like a special gift to me when I found them.

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October 14, 2012 · 7:18 PM

Lazy Sunday: Pumpkins & Readathon

Today I went to visit some of my family in Connecticut. Every October my aunt and my cousins and I get together to celebrate birthdays (one of my cousins has a birthday in September and my other cousin and I have birthdays in October) and the only day that happened to work this year was the day after the readathon. Booo. But we did have a delicious lunch at Rein’s Deli in Vernon and we stopped at a nearby farm to check out some pumpkins. It was fun, even if I did have to cut my readathon a little shorter than I originally intended.

In readathon news…

End of event survey fun!

  1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I’ll have to say hour 15, which was when I finished my book and called it quits so I could wake up early today!
  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I enjoyed But I Really Wanted to Be an Anthropologist
     a lot more as a readathon book than I might have as a read on a regular day. Light, fun, and short.
  3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Everything was seriously great and I could tell that a lot of planning and effort went into it. Great job, everyone!
  4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Twitter was particularly fun this time around.
  5. How many books did you read? Three!
  6. What were the names of the books you read? But I really Wanted to Be an Anthropologist by Margaux Motin; Seconds Away (Mickey Bolitar #2) by Harlan Coben; Why Have Kids? A New Mom Explores the Truth about Parenting and Happiness by Jessica Valenti.
  7. Which book did you enjoy most? All three were actually quite enjoyable. Lucky me!
  8. Which did you enjoy least? I picked up Terry Pratchett’s new book Dodger and only made it about 23 pages in. It’s just not for me.
  9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I copied and pasted my assigned readers into an Evernote entry and kept them updated based on who was participating. A great way to keep organized.
  10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Aaaabsolutely. I’m going to wait it out and see what the spring brings, but I’m sure I’ll participate in a few different ways.

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Filed under Lazy Sunday, Read-a-Thon

October 13, 2012 · 10:17 AM

Readathon Update Post

Hour 12 Updates

Title of book(s) read since last update: I finished Seconds Away by Harlan Coben!

Number of books read since you started:

  1. But I Really Wanted To Be An Anthropologist by Margaux Motin
  2. Seconds Away (Mickey Bolitar #2) by Harlan Coben

Pages read since last update: 194
Running total of pages read since you started: 537

Hours listened since last update: 0 — Although I did have a mini dance party to some tunes from musicals.
Running total of hours listened since you started: 0

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hour 20 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 3 hours 35 minutes

Amount of time spent commenting since last update: 50 minutes
Amount of time spent commenting since you started: 3 hours 10 minutes

Beverages consumed: Diet Pepsi

Food consumed: More grapes. Grapes forever.

Hour 9 Update

Title of book(s) read since last update: I started reading Dodger by Terry Pratchett but I just wasn’t into it. Now I’m reading Seconds Away (Mickey Bolitar #2) by Harlan Coben and loving it!

Number of books read since you started:

  1. But I Really Wanted To Be An Anthropologist by Margaux Motin

Pages read since last update: 167
Running total of pages read since you started: 343

Hours listened since last update: 0
Running total of hours listened since you started: 0

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hour 45 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 2 hours 15 minutes

Amount of time spent commenting since last update: 30 minutes
Amount of time spent commenting since you started: 2 hours 30 minutes

Beverages consumed: Water; iced chai from Starbucks

Food consumed: Had some grapes, which are of course delicious.

Etc.

  • While I was busy being all AHHH about not knowing what book to read, I unpacked a box of kitchen items. Clearly an important thing to do today…But hey, I found my other cutting board! And my oven mitt!
  • It’s a perfect fall day here in Boston. I couldn’t ask for better reading weather!

Hour 6 Update

Title of book(s) read since last update: None!

Number of books read since you started:

  1. But I Really Wanted To Be An Anthropologist by Margaux Motin

Pages read since last update: 0
Running total of pages read since you started: 176

Hours listened since last update: 0
Running total of hours listened since you started: 0

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 30 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 30 minutes

Amount of time spent commenting since last update: 2 hours
Amount of time spent commenting since you started: 2 hours

Beverages consumed: Coffee; water

Food consumed: Breakfast! Scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, sausage.

Etc.

  • I even got dressed during this time. Go me.
  • I am having a really hard time trying to decide what to read next…yikes.

Hour 3 Update

Title of book(s) read since last update: But I Really Wanted To Be An Anthropologist by Margaux Motin

Number of books read since you started:

  1. But I Really Wanted To Be An Anthropologist by Margaux Motin

Pages read since last update: 176
Running total of pages read since you started: 176

Hours listened since last update: 0
Running total of hours listened since you started: 0

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 30 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 30 minutes

Beverages consumed: Cup of coffee

Food consumed: Nothing (I should really eat some breakfast!)

Etc.
What I’m Reading Now: ????? I can’t decide what to read next!

Title of book(s) read since last update: But I Really Wanted To Be An Anthropologist by Margaux Motin

Number of books read since you started:

  1. But I Really Wanted To Be An Anthropologist by Margaux Motin

Pages read since last update: 176
Running total of pages read since you started: 176

Hours listened since last update: 0
Running total of hours listened since you started: 0

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 30 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 30 minutes

Beverages consumed: Cup of coffee

Food consumed: Nothing (I should really eat some breakfast!)

Etc.

  • I wish the breakfast-making fairy would arrive.
  • The sun is out and it’s super brisk and all fall-y outside and it makes me happy.
  • My new apartment is much more fun for readathon-ing–so many options of where to read!

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· 9:05 AM

Dewey’s Readathon Kick Off Post!

Good morning! Today I am participating in the Readathon for the, um, seventh?sixth time. I’m an old pro at this, it seems, and yet I am at the end (I hope) stages of a cold so ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN. I’m reading out of my coffee mug and drinking on my iPad, so everything should go smoothly. ;)

I haven’t decided exactly what to do about update posts this time around, but then again, I have only had two sips of coffee so I’m not exactly at full strength yet.

What I do know is how to fill out the Hour 1 meme, so here it is:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
I’m in Boston, where Autumn has really arrived in full force after freezing temperatures last night and a chilly 38 degrees this morning. I’m glad to be all cozy in the house today!
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Tricky question: I have no idea what to pick up after my graphic novel choices. Here are the library books I have on hand:
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
I made a big pot of chilli last night and it came out pretty tasty, considering I had never made it before. But really I’m looking forward to the 2am pizza delivery we all know is going to happen.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I can’t tell if that weird noise I am hearing is my radiator or birds. I’m really excited to read this book because of the shoes:
I really like shoes, although I don’t think I’d wear those shoes. I’m also really into the font used in the title.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
For the last readathon I participated in I had baggies of nuts and fruit and other snacks all ready to enjoy throughout the ‘thon. This time around I have, um, grapes in a bag and a short walk to Whole Foods. It’s going to be that kind of day.

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October 12, 2012 · 3:32 PM

Queer Library: A Trio of Links

Queer Library is a new feature on Bonjour, Cass! Every Friday I’ll write about a queer book on my shelves, an upcoming book I’m looking forward to reading, a review, or anything else related to LGBTQ books.

After last week’s Queer Library post about the upcoming book Against Equality: Prisons Will Not Protect You, I was directed to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP)’s page explaining their stance against hate crime legislation. The SRLP is a non-profit that “provides legal services, public education, and works towards policy change through community organizing” for low-income trans communities and trans communities of color, so it’s particularly interesting to read about the organization’s advocacy against hate crime laws.

I was really excited to see a post on Tor.com about queer representations in steampunk literature and in steampunk fan communities entitled ‘Queer Cogs: Steampunk, Gender Identity, and Sexuality.’ It was surprising to me to see Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series listed as a representation of queer identities in steampunk lit! I’ve seen it reviewed a bunch of places but hadn’t noticed any mention of queer content within the books. I’ll definitely be checking it out now.

My other favorite queer link of the day was The Hive’s interview Lisa Cohen, author of All We Know, a biography of three queer historical women. I’m anxiously waiting for my library to let me know that my hold on that book has come through!

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October 11, 2012 · 8:41 AM

Thoughts: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

American Psycho
by Bret Easton Ellis
Published 1991 by Vintage
399 pages
Read June 2012

From  IndieBound:

In American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis imaginatively explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence in our time or any other. Patrick Bateman moves among the young and trendy in 1980s Manhattan. Young, handsome, and well educated, Bateman earns his fortune on Wall Street by day while spending his nights in ways we cannot begin to fathom. Expressing his true self through torture and murder, Bateman prefigures an apocalyptic horror that no society could bear to confront.

Why I read this book: I was browsing the shelves at the library for something new and I recognized the title and decided to give it a try.

Initial thoughts: ”Okay, I get it. It’s the 1980s and Greed Is Good and Bateman is rich and greedy and obsessed with products and brands. Gotcha. If he describes one more person’s outfit down to their tie and socks, I’m going to fall asleep.”

…then, on page 132: “Oh, oh, oh.” After pages and pages of dry descriptions of making restaurant reservations and

During the last ⅔ of the book: Just me, rocking back and forth, trying not to puke.

Upon finishing: I need to find one of those old fashioned metal chastity belts and protect my lady parts next time I leave the house. Just sayin’.

Best article I’ve read about American Psycho: LANDMARKS OF LADY-HATE Presents! American Psycho, or, Despite All My Rage I Am Still Just A Rat In A Vagina over at the feminist blog Tiger Beatdown, which was the beginning of my healing process after reading this book. It’s a fantastic analysis and I wish I had written it.

Grade: No
You should read this if…: I started writing this post right after I finished American Psycho back in June, so it was before the Dueling Monsters battle when all these bloggers I am quite fond of started reading it and I was all


Regarding Ellis’ desire to adapt 50 Shades of Grey for the big screen: I haven’t read 50 Shades, I have no real desire to, but I was so revealed to hear that Ellis was denied the opportunity to work on the film. It would be the most horrifying movie of all time and my entire country would be rocking back and forth forever.

Edited to Add (ETA): I realized I tagged this post as “GLBTQ” without explaining why and nothing annoys me greater, so, in brief: Bateman has multiple encounters with women he cajoles into having sex with each other. There is also a man who has a crush on Bateman which is one of the triggers to Bateman’s growing psychosis.

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Filed under 2012 Reviews, D, Fiction, GLBTQ, Print