July Reading Wrap Up

I had been looking forward to July and all of its Heartstopper goodies! The final chapter of the graphic novel series (volume six) came out on the 2nd, and then the on-screen finale, the film Heartstopper Forever, was released two weeks later.

The first TV series of Heartstopper is super meaningful to me; it really started me off on my queer exploration pathway back in 2022. And I love both the books and the Netflix adaptation. On watching this new film, though, I did feel a little deflated by it. I look back and see I now that I watched it on an otherwise emotionally charged day, and I hadn’t get given myself space to grieve the end of an era.

Despite being a little down in the moment, I will say that I loved Tori’s asexual coming out scene! Firstly, that the character got to come out on screen because they had done much earlier in the graphic novels (was the “Oh, I could’ve sworn I told you that” line a reference to this fact?). But also because it shone a light on the freedom for relationships being what you make it: “We’re happy together. That’s all there is. Whether its romance or a friendship or whatever, that’s everyone else’s problem. Maybe our together isn’t the same as your together, or the normal together, but it’s ours.”

July will also be a memorable month because of the ongoing heatwaves here in the UK. I have had unexpected stays at both my parent’s and partner’s places and overall have been experiencing a lot of disruption – to routines, to my set up, to work, to health. Honestly, the most bizarre thing about it all, though, is hearing how not disrupted other people’s lives are; they get to carry on as almost normal – a reminder that I live in a disabled body that, this month, has needed a bit more flexibility and kindness.

And books! I have also had a lot of time on my hands when sheltering from the heat, most of which was spent napping, but a lot of time was spent reading too.

.

Heartstopper Vol. 6 by Alice Oseman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heartstopper means so much to me. It was watching the first TV series of Heartstopper on Netflix that led me to another of Alice's books, Loveless, and allowed me to explore my queerness properly for the first time.
I read this - the final volume of the graphic novel series - as part of a very Heartstopper themed day. I put on my Alice Oseman t shirt, had a picnic with my girlfriend, and then spent the evening curled up with the book.
This chapter focuses on the future. Nick is making decisions around university but is worried to be away from Charlie. After the two of them had gone through so much in Vol. 5, and given Charlie was his bisexual awakening, Nick feels he doesn't know who he is without Charlie.
Charlie is also figuring himself out, becoming head boy and continuing to be in the band Queer Intentions. And this makes Nick feel even more lost. But they help each other, as always, and the book ends in a lovely place.
There is also wonderful development for Tara and Darcy, Tao and Elle, and Tori and Michael, and the queer teachers. (Isaac from the TV show isn't in the graphic novels). I'm looking forward to seeing how each of these stories are expanded by the upcoming Netflix film, particularly if Tori gets her asexual moment too.
The final instalment of Heartstopper on screen (based on the plot of this book) is coming out in just a couple of weeks, and I am so excited!

If You Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So(reread)
This is a book I knew I loved, but in the few years since I first read it, I'd forgotten exactly why and how much. After rereading it, I am reminded of why this is one of my absolute favourites.
The story follows Elsie in the summer after her A levels. Unexpectedly, the summer begins with one of Elsie's grandparents moving in with them, and an old friend, Joan, also moving back from Hong Kong at the same time. Now alongside her plans to get a job in the local comic shop, go on holiday to Cornwall with her best friend, Ritika, and finally tell her crush, Ada, of her feelings, Elsie's priorities also shift to include reconnecting with these people and this part of her heritage.
While in Cornwall, Elsie decides that the best grand gesture to tell Ada of her crush is to track down Ada's grandma's long lost lover. Although Joan and Ritika disagree with this plan, they go along with it. But during the search, Elsie realises that Ada doesn't like her back and that maybe her feelings for Joan aren't all that platonic.
I think I originally picked up this book for the asexual representation. The explicit rep here is limited to a couple of conversations and a side character (Felix). But I find the whole book to be ace-affirming, and wonderful for that reason. All the characters value platonic love and include asexuality in the view of queerness.
I am always so drawn in by Cynthia's writing style. It's so dreamy and effortless. I also adore how nuanced the queer and sapphic experiences are here. For example, Elsie's storyline includes exploring her bisexuality through fanfic, recognising how she has been conditioned by her family's culture, processing the toxicity of her previous relationship with her ex-boyfriend, feeling a pull to change up her gender expression, and exploring how wonderful it is to be around queer people in real life.
Definitely a five-star read! I wish more people I know had read this book as I have so much more to say and could talk about it for hours!

Nick and Charlie: A Heartstopper Novella by AliceOseman (reread)
A cute story but not Alice Oseman's best work.
The novella depicts a conflict (and the resolution) between Nick and Charlie before Nick goes off to university and "leaves Charlie behind." Timeline-wise, it slots in between the end of Heartstopper Vol. 6 and the Heartstopper epilogue, although this book was published six years ago, way before that graphic novel was finalised.
This story references the event in Solitaire when the girls school, Higgs, burns down and a lot of the sixth formers at Higgs end up moving to the boys school to finish their A Levels. But this is not referred to in the Heartstopper graphic novels or, I expect, in the upcoming film Heartstopper Forever. Whether this is to not complicate the story, which ultimately focuses on Nick and Charlie, or Oseman has decided to change that particular plotline, I am unsure.

I Want to be a Wall (Book 1) by Honami Shirono and translated by Emma Schumacker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A book I don't expect I would have picked up if it wasn't a book club pick, but I'm so glad I did!
This three-part manga series follows a marriage of convenience between an asexual woman ("asexual" in Japanese culture commonly referring to a lack of both sexual and romantic attraction) and a gay man with an unrequited crush on his childhood friend. As they get to know each other, they confide in each other and become each other's safe space. They work out how to live together - hard when they are both terrible cooks - and how to build a life together based on friendship. The whole thing is a really ace-affirming story with friendship depicted as something to be valued - both the connection between the MCs Yuriko and Gakurouta, and the platonic relationships they each have with other people.
There are also flashbacks showing us the societal pressures and expections put upon the characters which lead to their decision to get married, including some very relatable ace moments. For example, Yuriko comes out as having "never fallen in love" to a colleague, but the colleague responds, "you're joking, right?" and the interaction leaves Yuriko feeling broken (and oh, I remember that feeling!)
Yuriko may not be interested in romance in real life, but she is a huge fan of BL (Boy Love) books, a medium where she can enjoy romance without picturing herself in the story, given the romantic leads are all men. I thought this was a lovely added touch.
This is my first manga book and it really didn't take long to adjust to reading from right to left. I can see myself reading the other two in this series, as well as more manga going forward.

The Queer Bookshelf by Layla McCay ⭐️⭐️⭐️
My wonderful girlfriend got us tickets for a launch event for this book at Queer Britain back in June. It was a lovely date day. We arrived early and went around the galleries before the event, which didn't take long (the museum is quite small), but added to the atmosphere and made more of a trip out of it.
After hearing McCay speak, I was excited to read this one and see which books make it onto her queer canon. It also perfectly complements How Queer Bookshops Changed the World by A.J West, a book I read earlier in the year.
Although there is some commentary on McCay's personal reading opinions/memories, and some historical context of when books were published, for the most part this is a list of queer books and their synopses. I read it cover to cover, but it's not a book that can be taken in in one go. I also feel like different sections and book lists will appeal to me at different times. So, I plan to keep this copy on my shelf to come back to at later dates.
The author acknowledges that there are many books not included here and that readers will have their own thoughts on this. I found the section on children's and middle grade fiction particularly lacking - it was mostly queer coded characters from books McCay read as a child and a few picture books. It failed to represent the wonderful array of contemporary queer children's literature we have today. It did get me thinking though, maybe that's the book I need to write one day.
I was also disappointed when disability rep was just a two-book end remark in the part on intersectionality when disable people make up so much of the queer community and this representation is out there and matters to us.
It did take me a while to get through this book, but I also don't feel it is designed to be read in one stretch. Ultimately, it's a nice addition to my own bookshelf, and I can certainly appreciate all the research that would have gone into creating this book, but it's not one I'll be raving about.

Chinese and Any Other Asian: Exploring East and South East Asian Identity in Britain by Anna Sulan Masing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was in a new books pile I processed at the library and the title caught my eye. I am not of ESEA heritage, but my partner is, and I live in a multicultural city in Britain, so I took this as a good opportunity to educate myself and become more aware of things that might affect those around me.
Masing talks a lot about the importance of taking up space; telling your story and amplifying the voices of ESEA people. She provides anecdotes of her own, and those from many others, to create an expansive picture with chapters that flow, engage, and educate.
I loved the concept of a travelling home. That people with mixed heritage are not "half this and half that", but we are all a blend of all the places we have been, the homes we've made, and the stories that get passed down to us.
Although a short book, it covers a bunch of topics from historical context of colonialism in ESEA countries (and its links to racism in the UK today), to food being an important connection to heritage (and British Chinese food being its own separate thing), to the tropes and stereotypes of ESEA people in films and media (including Crazy Rich Asians). But even though the discussion is quite broad, the author also emphasises how nuanced and individual experiences are and can be.
The title - Chinese and Any Other Asian - is inspired from the UK census, which, as the book taught me, has very few options for those with ESEA heritage and leaves very little room for nuance of mixed identities, something this book challenges.
The author included some book recommendations - fiction books in the chapter about arts and culture, and nonfiction for further reading - some of which have immediately gone on my tbr. Reading this has also made me want to reread a Cynthia So book, This Feast of a Life, which involves two teenagers with ESEA heritage discovering food and recipes from family members and friends.