LIBRARY

You enter the library. It's an imposing building that once upon a time was a modernist marvel. Now it slowly decays. The books inside, at least, are still kept in pristine condition. You enter a lamp-lit reading room, covered wall to wall in tomes; some ancient, others sparkling new. A manila folder sits on the reading table, with a list of books typewritten on yellowing paper inside.

"I've been trying to get back into reading with mixed results. It still takes me ages to read a book. My reading taste is pretty eclectic, though I've a soft spot for genre fiction - horror, scifi and fantasy. I think the only genres I categorically don't read are sport and romantasy. Some of my most recent reads have been:

• The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) by Ursula K. Le Guin - A difficult but very interesting read with a real deep dive into how ideas of gender and sex permeate society alongside taboos within different societies and how they affect people. It has definitely aged, but in its context it's a revolutionary text. I am still thinking about Estraven.
• The Spirit Bares Its Teeth (2023) by Andrew Joseph White - I'm currently reading this! It's bad.
• A Study in Drowning (2024) by Ava Reid - I enjoyed the book muchly. It has very strong themes of misogyny and sexual violence, and it treats survivors with empathy and compassion. I think its conclusion in its handling of the misogyny of the University and broader society was a bit lacklustre and heavy handed.
• A Dark and Drowning Tide (2024) by Alison Saft - Has one of the worst endings I've read in a book. Genuinely mindbogglingly bad handling of a promising story. Its almost a perfect encapsulation of how liberals will always throw their weight behind fascists to save their own skins and keep the peace. Except it has ZERO self awareness of this fact. Rebellion is bad. Resistance is futile. Be happy under the empire. Imperialism is the best option, actually. We will make the character so traumatised by war she never wants to use magic again an imperialist because that will Prevent More War. It's ok because it's gay. This could only be written by a liberal from the imperial core.
• Six of Crows (2015) by Leigh Bardugo - Very good. Heists are fun as hell and this is a book that in my opinion deserves its hype.
• Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus (1818) by Mary Shelley - Honestly, after being through university (while gay) and learning more about...Byron I understand why Victor is like that. My classic literature baby. Unhinged teenage girls, never change.
• One Last Stop (Special Edition) (2023) by Casey McQuiston - The book that got me back into reading fiction (well the original one, I read the extra chapter in this version recently). Jane Su deserves the world and being trapped on the New York Subway is a fate worse than death. Also, unlike Casey McQuiston's other works which I haven't found much of a hook for, it has speculative fiction elements which really drive the plot forward. I have a real soft spot for the cheesiness of this.
• Iron Widow (2021) by Xiran Jay Zhao - [Wu Zetian voice] I'm not like those other stupid girls. I'm a misogynist. #feminism
• Babel or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution (2022) by R.F. Kuang - Excellent worldbuilding and R.F. Kuang CLEARLY did her research with how accurate it was to 19th century Britain. Loved the magic system, wish we got more of it. Weirdly paced, but I enjoyed the story a lot. Post-colonial studies 101, yet many readers seem to be infected with Letty-brain.
• Sorry, Bro (2023) by Taleen Voskuni - The only good thing I can say about this is it's a love letter to Armenian culture. Also the author fights random reviewers on Goodreads. Please spend less time on that and more time writing your books.
• My Sister the Serial Killer (2019) by Oyinkan Braithwaite - A really strong start and premise ruined by a, frankly, very stupid romance subplot. I do love Ayoola as a character though.
• Under the Whispering Door (2021) by T.J. Klune
• Gideon the Ninth (2019) by Tamsyn Muir
• Juniper and Thorn (2022) by Ava Reid
• Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America (1992) by Lillian Federman
• A Queer New York: Geographies of Lesbians, Dykes, and Queers (2020) by Jen Jack Gieseking
• Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction (2013) Jeff VanderMeer
• Writing the Paranormal Novel: Techniques and Exercises for Weaving Supernatural Elements into Your Story (2011) by Steven Piziks"

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