The only thing I’ve been doing less than reading for the past month is writing about my reading.
Recurring themes in my reading: Early women drivers. Marginalized college students. Mushrooms.
A Quick and Easy Guide to Queer and Trans Identities by Mady G. and J.R. Zuckerberg
I’m a bit baffled by this short, nonfiction graphic novel. The combination of somewhat dense text with the cutsiest of illustrated characters… who is it for? I was turned off by the aesthetic and so was my trans teen. I do like the straightforward, caring tone, and it had some charming moments, but unless a kid looked at this and went “oooo, that’s so adowable!,” I’d probably get the info elsewhere.
Runabout by Pamela Morsi
Early twentieth century Americana, with a fake relationship, friends-to-lovers, and multiple complex relationships with complex characters. Morsi’s forte, but it doesn’t entirely come off. The title (referring to the intrepid heroine’s car) suggests she was aiming for farce, and there’s definitely a switching partners theme, but there’s also a lot of disturbing elements. Might be the mood of the day rather than the book — but then again, CW for attempted rape, violence, slut-shaming and a lot of Native American slurs. (Two of the heroes are half Cherokee.)
Well-Read Black Girl edited by Gory Edim
Black women writers talk about the books and authors that made a difference in their young lives. Most of the stories are about finding representation, unsurprisingly; I was tickled by the author who found it in Roald Dahl.
The Panty Raid by Pamela Morsi
A silly title but a serious theme — a young college student is stymied by sexism as she tries to pursue her interest in a scientific career. Short and pretty frothy, but you have to love her hero, who refuses to let her give up her dreams.
Making Hay by Pamela Morsi
Though short, this has everything I hope to find in Morsi. Great sense of time and place, vivid characters, and a meaningful conflict.
I have liked the couple of Morsis I have read.I’ll give Making Hay a read.
If memory serves Runabout is loosely tied to Wild Oats (which I lurved!) – but while her American historicals tend to be advertised as “series” they’re so loosely connected that, well, it’s hard to see the connection outside of the rural settings. I have Runabout both in print and in eBook – thanks to it being a freebie fairly recently. One of these days….