Matthew reads, I guess...

Today, I’m writing about Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes, and this is another one that I have no idea about how I came across it. Or I don’t remember at least. I think it was just one of those that was “Readers of X would also like Y”, but I really couldn’t tell you. Something I’ve also noticed that there are multiple covers to this book. There’s the version that I’ve got – and the version I’m attaching as an image at the end of this post – and the other one, where the main character is falling in the swirl, with a bunch of 80s stuff around him. I will give a content warning here. There is raging homophobia in this book. Like, almost constant. Also, I’m not explicitly going to spoil this book, but there is a point in this post that would be a spoiler, and I’ll flag that up when it comes. Our blurbaroni pizza says that all Luis wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend, something his “progressive” high school still doesn’t allow. Not after what happened with Chaz Wilson. But tha...

  Now, The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough is a book that I can tell you exactly how I found out about it. I know a lot of the books I read, I just say that I found out about them, most often, from Twitter. But this one I found out about because one of my friends got me a gift card to this queer bookshop, and I ended up just going on the website of the shop, and browsing until I found something I could get with it. And that’s how I ended up with it. Our blurb says that it’s a hot summer, and life’s going all right for seventeen-year-old Jackson and his family on the mish. It’s almost Christmas, school’s out, and he’s hanging with his mates, teasing the visiting tourists, avoiding racists in town. Just like every year, Jackon’s Aunty and annoying little cousins visit from the city – but this time Tomas, with his mysterious and troubled past, comes with them. As their friendship evolves, Jackson must confront the changing shapes of his relationships with his friends, family...

  I remember reading Jay’s Gay Agenda , also by Jason June, towards the end of 2021. So, I was pretty surprised when Out of the Blue , the book I’m talking about today, came out so soon. Although, I’ve said it came out soon after the first book, it could well have been the case that I just didn’t read the first book for a while after it came out. I feel like that’s more likely than the two being released close together. That being said, our blurb says that Crest isn’t excited to be on their journey: the month-long sojourn on land all teen merfolk must undergo. The gig is they have to help a human within one moon cycle and return to where they came from. If they fail, they get stuck on land forever. Crest wants to get their journey over and done with because humans are disgusting. Then in LA, Crest has a new name and meets Sean, a lifeguard, whose boyfriend has recently dumped him. So, Crest is helping Sean make his ex boyfriend jealous. It’s fake dating, except one of them is merfo...

  Once again, I am coming to you with a book that I found out about because of Twitter. Today, it’s Kings of B’more by R. Eric Thomas. I’m pretty sure I saw it, like I just said, on Twitter, but I think I saw Julian Winters tweet about it. It was one of those that just ended up sat on my wishlist for months until it finally came out. The blurb says that with junior year starting in the fall, Harrison feels like he’s on the precipice of everything: Standardised testing, college, and the looming pressures of adulthood. The one good thing is that his bestie, Linus, is going through it with him. However, Linus then tells him he’s leaving the state at the end of the week. Then to keep himself from losing it, Harrison plans a Ferris Bueler’s Day Off -style send off for Linus to squeeze in a bunch of last-minute experiences that include their first pride, a rooftop party and a mini road trip. And they’re doing this in secret from their parents. The two make a pact to do all the things, ...