August Reading Wrap Up
August felt like a slow month for reading for me. I think that’s because I started a couple of books I then didn’t finish. The first being Yes, You Are Trans Enough by Mia Voilet, which is a very well written memoir I intend to finish at some point, but I was reading my partner’s copy off their shelf one visit and didn’t have time to finish it all before heading home. The other was Bat, Ball and Field: The Elements of Cricket by Jon Hotten. I got really into The Hundred cricket competition that ran throughout August. I went along to one of the women’s matches with my parents and then dipped in and out of this book at the peak of my excitement. But all in all, I’m not a big cricket fan, so this was a book I never intended to read cover to cover.
Despite the month of reading feeling slow, I did still read four books, and some great ones too.
The London Ace Book Club book for August was The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow. This was a reread for me. I previously picked up this story at the beginning of my own exploration of asexual representation in fiction and loved seeing demisexuality reflected on the page. Rereading it was quite a different experience, however. The representation I’m after these days is different, and I was less impressed by the book overall.
After reading a five-star book from Laura Kay at the start of this year, I was very excited to come across another book of theirs, The Spilt. I found this to be such a fun read! Which is interesting because the friend I was reading this one alongside couldn’t get into it. They found the main character, Ally, to be self-absorbed and lacking in friends to point out her mistakes – like stealing her ex-girlfriend’s cat. But I thought these flaws made her relatable (although, I have never stollen a cat) and I found enough of those flaws ended up being identified and worked on, also without making Ally a perfect character by the time the story ends.
The Spilt is about two childhood friends reconnecting after bad breakups and each moving back in with their parents in their home city of Sheffield. At first they are scheming to get their exes to take them back, but the story becomes one of friendship, self-acceptance and self-improvement.
I also read and loved Dear Cisgender People: A Guide to Trans Allyship and Empathy by Kenny Ethan Jones, and Love and Other Disasters, another lovely romance by Anita Kelly (I have read others by them before).
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The Split by Laura Kay ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is the second Laura Kay book I've read this year and I've really liked both of them.
This is a contemporary story of two childhood friends - Ally and Jeremy - reconnecting when they both end up back at home in Sheffield after unexpected break ups. They bond over their shared experience and decide that the thing they should do to win their exes back to to run a half marathon (of course).
There is a bit of romance, but, like with other Laura Kay books, this is secondary. It's about a couple of queers moving on with their lives and using their change of circumstances to better themselves.
I took this book out of the library, and my copy proved to me that the book jacket can be a little big but not spoil the reading experience. I went back to work the following shift and put a jacket on a book of an unusual size, copying the way of sellotaping the jacket to the book that was used on this copy of The Split - it worked well!
Dear Cisgender People by Kenny Ethan Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A wonderfully written memoir and message to those unsure of transgender issues and headlines.
Kenny opens his heart about his experience of growing up trans. He was the first ever trans man to front a period campaign and I particularly enjoyed the chapter where he spoke about this; about why gendered language, around period care and elsewhere, is so important.
I think this is a great book for educating on trans topics, especially as its addressed to people who don't know someone who's trans themselves or has only seen the negativity in the news.
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow (reread)
The stories and representation we connect with change over time. I liked this book a lot more when I read it the first time a few years ago, at the beginning of my asexual journey.
The main character, Ellie, is on the asexual spectrum and mentions her experience around attraction and intimacy.
The plot is this: Earth has been taken over by aliens - the Ilori - and humans have been put into centres with rules and the threat of an upcoming "vaccine". Ellie is a teenager who runs a secret library and, after befriending an alien boy, goes off on an adventure to save the world whilst also falling in love.
The story is about the power of art - specifically books and music - in connecting and inspiring people (Although I felt the twist near the end of the book debunks this narrative a little).
Love and Other Disasters by Antia Kelly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is the first book in the Nashville Love trilogy. I have previously read the other two books.
London and Dahlia meet on the set of a cooking show, Chef's Special. Dahlia applied for the show after getting a divorce, quitting her job, and wanting to do something more adventurous. London comes onto set as a proud non-binary character who becomes well-loved representation for viewers. Their romance has ups and downs, but makes for a cute story.
The book reminded me of The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun. Both are romances on reality TV sets, and both couples face challenges around coming out on the show.