April Reading Wrap Up
April came with some backwards political lows. On the 16th April, the UK Supreme Court ruled that, within the Equality Act, ‘woman’ as a legal term refers to biological sex. As we’ve seen since, this opened the flood gates for further transphobic policies here in the UK.
I was having a lazy morning when my phone buzzed with this news and I didn’t need to read beyond the headline to become angry. It’s misogynist, reductive of it means to be a woman, and deeply affects people I know and love.
It was the same people who celebrated this transphobic ‘victory’ that also decided to use International Asexuality Day (6th April) as an opportunity to hate on this other minority group rather than educate themselves on asexual experiences.
In the last month these negative voices in society have been so very loud.
But April, for me, also had some pretty big personal highs. I published Ace Book Club stories, a project sharing stories from members of my asexual book club. I feel like I’ve made some breakthroughs with my disability, both in my mentality towards this part of myself, and in accessing support I have the right to. Plus, I got to read some fantastic asexual and ace-coded books.
For readers who do want to learn about some of the nuance of asexuality, I can now recommend Don’t Let the Forest In by C. G. Drews and This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria. These are both fabulous YA books with asexual main characters. In both, asexuality is not heavily discussed, but it is brought to the forefront by being integral to the characters we follow.
How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly became the first sapphic romance novel I’ve read with an ace lead. Both spicey and vulnerable, this was a book I could simply get lost in and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
And the other two books I read this month – All the Lovers in the Night and Sounds Fake but Okay – I gave five stars. So really this was an excellent month of reading!
As I read more books, and even as this year goes on, I feel I better understand myself as a reader and I’m getting better at selecting books I know I will like or get something out of. In this one thing, at least, I am hopeful for the year ahead.
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All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami and translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved this book! The characters and conversations are so grounded and believable. The narrative holds space for the silences and awkwardness, contradictions and repetitions, and I think that's what makes it so relatable and ultimately so appealing.
Our mc, Fuyuko, is a freelance proofreader in her thirties. The book is short, but we follow Fuyuko over the course of a year (maybe more? - it's been a moment since I actually finished the book). We see her meet new people, form relationships, uncover memories, and relearn things about herself.
This is a character-based story without much plot. There is a bit of a twist at the end, but even this isn't there to change where the story is going, but to highlight aspects of our main character. I read Kuyuko, for example, as neurodivergent, and someone who is used by others around her.
Content warnings include SA and reliance on alcohol. Please check out a full list of triggers before reading if you need to.
Don't Let the Forest In by C. G. Drews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book had me hooked. Tension really builds in the necessary scenes drawing you into the story. I was crying through the final pages. Like the cover says, not every fairytale has a happy ending, and this one is devastating.
Andrew and Thomas are roommates at boarding school. Andrew writes stories and Thomas is an artist. Their monsters start coming to life in the woods by the school and together they try to fight the monsters and work out how to stop them.
There is a pining love story between our protagonists. Their love runs deep, but it's also dark and maddening.
Andrew is asexual. He explains how he feels before the label 'asexual' is mentioned and I liked that. Nuances of being ace are explored and this identity also feeds into Andrew's mental health which seems accurate.
I think I might like reading horror more than I like to admit. There is much revealed at the end which connects all the horrors to Andrew's real-world experience. This story is haunting and devastating, and I was caught up in it from start to finish.
Sounds Fake But Okay by Sarah Costello and Kayla Kaszyca ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I shouldn't be surprised that two podcasters would narrate their own book and make it so engaging.
I've never listened to the podcast Sounds Fake But Okay, but this book seems to bring together many of the discussions they've previously had about asexuality on their show. I love the approach of discussing aceness by looking at society through "purple lens glasses" rather than this being an asexual 101 or a long list of ace terminology; there's nuance and depth to each chapter.
I listened to the audiobook (available on Spotify Premium) and loved how the authors read it in a podcast-style. I would be interested to flick through the physical book to see how much of this back-and-forth between them is printed on the page.
This book is up there with ace books that I can see myself highly recommending to aces as well as those wanting to know more about asexual experiences.
This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This title has been on my book shelf for a long time. I brought it after seeing it on asexual book lists online, and although the labels ace and aro are not mentioned, I really liked the representation here. In fact, I love how Karis's sexuality is explored in the background and I like how we don't get pulled out of the story for an asexual 101, she just is herself.
The book is a YA fantasy adventure. It reminded me of Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, a book I very much enjoyed when I was younger. Much like that book got turned into a film, I can picture This Golden Flame as a film too. It felt like I was already watching one while reading.
We read from 2POVs - Karis, our aroace lead, and Alix, an automaton. Alix may be a 'robot' but he is written with so much character and humanity. I loved, for example, the descriptions of his love of music and him singing while he works.
There could have very easily been a romance between Karis and her friend Dane - this is even commented on - but they continue to remain close friends throughout which was a refreshing change for this genre of book
How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Want a sporty sapphic romance with some spice, but ace?
Julie Parker is a basketball coach at East Nashville High. One day, Elle Cochrane, Julie's basketball idol, turns up on her high school court as a guardian to one of her players. Julie ends up asking Elle to be her assistant coach and soon they are "pretend" dating while Julie works out if dating and romance stuff is something she's interested in.
I felt it may have taken them a little too much "practice" to realise they were dating - maybe that meant the book was a little too long? or I wanted them to get together sooner and then work through the later challenges together? I'm not sure.
What I loved was the vulnerability between our leads. They discuss sexuality, mental health, rewarding work, parenting, and pressures of sport. I felt these conversations were balanced and had a natural flow. Vanessa as a character also felt authentic; Kelly has got a handle on writing teenagers.
Asexuality is mentioned a lot throughout the book. I liked the representation. It pulled me out of the story at times, but what I want from ace rep has changed, and I can see this would be amazing to read for someone who is newly out or needing to find an ace character in a book.
This was a really fun read, I enjoyed it