Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli My rating: 3 of 5 stars “Leah on the Offbeat” is the “sequel” to “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.” It doesn’t take the plot forward so much as delves into the lives of some of the other characters from the first book. Leah had a minor role in “Simon” as his best friend (although for a best friend, she didn’t appear in a lot of the book). In her titular book, we get to see her conflicts […]
Everything is Just So…Overheated
Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman My rating: 4 of 5 stars Elio is the son of two professors. His father is a famous historian who hires a summer graduate student to join the family on their Italian Riviera estate (who wouldn’t want that gig) and help sort research and correspondence. As the book opens, Elio is preparing to welcome the newest intern, Oliver. Oliver arrives and Elio gives him a cool reception. The frigidity between the two continues for a period before […]
In Which I Think the Movie is Better Than the Book
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli My rating: 4 of 5 stars Simon is a junior in high school and early on we learn that he’s feeling isolated and lonely because he’s gay, hasn’t come out to anyone, and is looking to find a community where he can feel like he fits in with who he is. Right around this point in the novel, a post comes up on the school’s unofficial Tumblr page from a use by the name of Blue […]
A Powerful Story of Family
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi My rating: 5 of 5 stars I read “Homegoing” as part of my library’s book club. I didn’t finish it in time for the book club meeting, but I had heard good things about it so I wanted to make sure I fit this into my reading schedule. I ended up reading it on a road trip, which helped me enjoy this book more than if I read this in bits and pieces. “Homegoing” is the story of two half-sisters, neither […]