I want to start off by saying how horrified and saddened I am by hate in this world and the people who let it drive them. This past weekend, as many of you know, Pulse, a gay club, was attacked. 50 were killed and 53+ were injured. The LGBT+ community was attacked during a month that celebrates love as it is, in a safe space they found happiness in, with people they loved and cared for. We must all stand together and stay strong for those who can't, for those we lost, and those who need out support.

Today I wanted to honor the community and Pride month and list LGBT books that I can't wait to read. 

10. Fjord Blue by Nina Rossing. This follows a gay boy after he is shipped to Norway of all places. There he meets Evan, a kind boy with secrets of his own. 

9. The Best Man by Richard Peck. I honestly think this book is going to be so so cute. Archer's uncle is getting married to his favorite student teacher. Archer is in the 6th grade and the entire book is told from his perceptive. Archer learns about the LGBT community, love, and most importantly what type of person he wants to be.

8. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. This follows two princesses, one of which is engaged to the Prince, who are trying to find the assassin that turned their worlds upside down. Along the way their admiration turns to friendship which turns to love. 

7. The Other Boy by M.G. Hennessey. Shane woods is a 12 year old trans boy. He finds his niche in middle school but after someone threatens to expose his secrets. He finds strength and confronts the hate and continues life as the person he knows he is. 

6. Here Comes the Sun by  Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn. Margot is ruthlessly determined to shield Thandi, her sister, from the horrors she faced. When plans for a new hotel threaten their village, Margot sees not only an opportunity for her own financial independence but also perhaps a chance to admit a shocking secret: her forbidden love for another woman

5. Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit. by Jaye Robin Brown. Joanna has been out for a while but she is soon forced to move to conservative Rome. She tries to lie low but that changes when she meets Mary.

4. Jess, Chunk, and the Road to Infinity  by Kristen Elizabeth Clark. Jess and her best friend Chunk take a road trip to Jess's dads wedding. Jess is ready to start her new life as an artist and college student. The last time Jess saw her father she was biologically a boy. During the road trip Jess and Chunk discover new things about each other and their relationship. 

3. Time Keeper by Tara Sim. This follows Danny who is known for his ability to fix clocks and the very fabric of time. In this world, everything is controlled by clock towers. They assign him to Enfield and assign a new apprentice  to him. Their relationship grows, despite it being forbidden. As it turns out Danny's apprentice is the clock tower's spirit. 

2. You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour. and David Levithan. I LOVE Nina LaCour. She has written some of the most profound books I have ever read. When I saw this book I literally died. I want to read this so bad. This follows Kate who just ran away and wants to meet the girl she is in love with and a guy she meets named Mark,who is in love with his best friend.

1. When the Moon was Ours : A Novel by Anna-Marie McLemore. I don't really have words to describe this book other than magical. Riddled with fantasy and magic realism, the novel tells the story of Sam, a transgender boy, and Miel. They struggle to protect one another and along the way learn how they wish to define themselves and their lives.

"Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside."

-Lin-Manuel Miranda

Book Talk: The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Book: The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Author: Emily M. Danforth
Series: No
Number of Pages: 470
Source: My amazing sister

The Basics:When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.

But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is soon forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone (as her grandmother might say), and Cam becomes an expert at both.

Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship — one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to ‘fix’ her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self — even if she’s not exactly sure who that is.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.

My Musings:

The best part about reading are the characters and stories that stick with you, the ones you remember 10 years after you've read them, the ones you mention in random conversations. Not unlike a fond friend from high school that you mention everyone in a while because you loved them, because they were your person. Cameron is like that for me. I miss her. I miss her sarcasm, her doll house, her adventured with Jamie. I miss her.

The writing style is great; it never feels stuffy or awkward, it feels natural and real. Something that's been missing from a lot of books I've been reading lately. Danfroth creates really great character that are easy to fall in love with and relate to. The book is broken up into section one for every new part of her life. The book starts out when she is very young and we, as readers, watch her grow and mature, as she enters high school and eventually is sent of to a boarding school to "fix her". It was definitely was frustrating to see Cam go through all the homophobia and backlash to her sexuality. My heart went out to her and it was sad to see her go through that and be so helpless in those situations. I really hope that she is happy somewhere with a girl she loves.

For me, when I think of Cameron I think of two things:

1. Dollhouse
2. Movies

She is a much more complicated character than this but I loved her little quirks and hobbies and the way they were portrayed because it made her more of a person, a real person, somewhere in the middle of Montana, and that for me is one of the most beautiful parts of this book. The amount of detail in this book is impeccable and I loved that the author took her time to create a world and characters grounded in things everyone can relate to.Seeing her grow up made me more protective of her and even more involved in the story. Safe to say that characterization was on point.

The plot itself is just...it's great. I have laughed with Cameron, I have cried with Cameron. It has been a hard journey for her and I'm so glad that I read this book and went on this journey with her.

Overall this book was great. It's a book I really enjoyed but most importantly it's a story that I'll keep with me. It's beautiful and heartbreaking, its frustrating and satisfying. It's a book I think everyone should read. 

Book Talk: A Bitter Pill to Swallow

Release Date: January 1, 2016
Book: A Bitter Pill to Swallow
Author: Tiffany Gholar
Source: Author (this doesn't compromise my review)

The Basics: On the edge of the Chicago medical district, the Harrison School for Exceptional Youth looks like a castle in a snow globe. Janina has been there since she was ten years old, and now she's fourteen. She feels so safe inside its walls that she's afraid to leave.

Devante's parents bring him there after a tragedy leaves him depressed and suicidal. Even though he's in a different place, he can't escape the memories that come flooding back when he least expects them.

Dr. Gail Thomas comes to work there after quitting her medical residency. Frustrated and on the verge of giving up on her dreams, she sees becoming a counselor as her last chance to put her skills to the test.

When he founded the school, Dr. Lutkin designed its unique environment to be a place that would change the students' lives. He works hard as the keeper of other people's secrets, though he never shares any of his own.

But everything changes late in the winter of 1994 when these four characters' lives intersect in unexpected ways. None of them will ever be the same.

Sooo before I start the review I wanted to let y'all know that Perks will now and forever simply be a book blog blogging about booksih things. I decided to start a new blog called Of Roses and Rebels  to blog about lifestyle things. So go check it out and give me a follow if you want more lifestyle posts from me :) Ok now on to the review...

My Musings:

I remember when I got this book in the mail. I was so excited to open it when I saw the cover and actually held the book I died a little. It took me a while to start reading it and this review is really late seeing as it is June. I had no real expectations for this book which Is probably the best way to approach books just because it's easier to be objective and true to the actual quality of the novel.

It was in my AP Spanish class during a free period that I started this book. I have to say the plot and the basic idea of the novel is amazing. I love that this book deals with mental health and the issues within that world. As a person with an anxiety disorder, I definitely appreciated having characters I could relate to and root for. I also really appreciated the fact that most of the main characters were people of color. That's not something you see in most books which is part of the reason that this book is so special and so amazing. Essentially this follows three people and their relationships and lives. The plot itself is innovative and pretty good. There was no plot holes so it was consistent and innovative. The characters experience so much strife and deal with a lot. I developed a lot of respect for them. I really LOVE that Gholar wrote about these things because it's easy to romanticize mental issues but I really appreciated that she tried to give a more realistic, gritty feel to the novel.

That being said I wasn't a big fan of the writing style or the characterization of the characters. I felt like I couldn't really connect to the characters and I felt like so many moments in the novel were exaggerated or just to cheesy for me. The set up to some of the characters actions took the seriousness out of those moments and made them a little bit cheesy. For instance, the romance for me was just no. While I think the relationship between  Janina and Devante was cute and definitely got better as the book progressed I really didn't like the fact that it was instalovey. I would have preferred seeing them slowly get to know each other rather than just falling in love right away. I definitely would have appreciated their relationships even more.

I really, really wanted to like this book. And I did love it at times. However, I couldn't really get into it and get pass some of the awkward moments and cheesy bits. The book gets better the more you read, but the initial few chapter and beginning middle were a little harder for me.to get through.


My Rating: