My Top LGBT reads

Read on to find out my top LGBT reads ...

I'll give you the Sun by Jandy Nelson

“A story of two twins, Jude & Noah both of whom narrate their intertwined story of love, life and bad decisions in a realistic heart-breaking way”

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The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by MacKenzi Lee

“A fantastic tale of a spoiled bisexual British Lord romping around Europe – a great story where the aristocracy of the 18th-century meets Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda”

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What if it's us? by Becki Albertalli and Adam Silvera

“A fun story of Ben and Arthur, will they, won't they? A classic story of a doomed romance, or is it. Maybe, just maybe this is the one" 

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Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becki Albertalli

(Albertalli's 2nd book on my list)

“It's an exciting story, intertwining the busy social media driven World of today's teens with the constant struggle for identity and self”

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Noah Can't Even by Simon James Green

One of the funniest books I've ever read. 

“Skittles and Haribo will solve all problems”

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Boy meets Boy by David Levithan

"The book takes us on the usual journey for teens; that of love, lost love and love found again only of course this time it’s two boys"

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Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

“You can’t pick and choose whose equality you support. That’s not equality” 

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When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid

“Raunchy, riotous and real”

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History is all you left me by Adam Silvera

(Silvera's 2nd appearance on my list)

“A beautifully written book, heartfelt, touching and simply amazing”

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Willful Machines by Tim Floreen

“A fantastic book with great characters and a central theme about life and freedom”

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Release by Patrick Ness

“A poignant story of loss and rebirth”

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And that's me done, hope you enjoy these books like I did, comment and let me know what you think?

John The Captain Ryan

I’ll give you the sun by Jandy Nelson (Book Review)

A story of two twins, Jude & Noah both of whom narrate their intertwined story of love, life and bad decisions in a realistic heart-breaking way. This is Book 4 in my 52-weeks, 52-books challenge.

Check out the official website of Jandy Nelson here. 

Rather than get straight into the story, just a quick comment about the artistic page scrawlings. Throughout the book some of the important lines are scrawled across the pages (at least in my version; the one with the yellow cover). I really like these, what I call … moments. Like a painting or photo with a shaft of bright light or surprising bright colour, to me, they are an attempt to enhance the story of the twins who are also artists. Another interesting tool the author uses is how Noah files away ideas for future paintings; the author perfectly captures how the mind of some artist’s work. I particularly like this and it reinforces the idea that artists and writers should always carry a notebook with them to jot down ideas and observations.

 

So, the plot.

"At first, Jude and her twin brother Noah, are inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them. Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah's to tell; the later years are Jude's. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they'll have a chance to remake their world". (source Goodreads)

The intriguing thing about the book is how the author tells the story of both main characters, she gives them separate identities and styles but writing Jude’s story at age 16 and Noah’s story at age 13 doesn’t work for me. Some might think it’s a clever tool to tell the story but I didn’t like it at all. Now, I understand it’s difficult to come up with a way to tell a story without relying on the old fashioned flashbacks but in this case, I think the old fashioned method would have worked better. I also much prefer when two authors work together when writing a story focusing on two main characters like Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green or What if it’s us by Becki Albertalli and Adam Silvera.

 

Even though telling both stories at different ages is not a game changer it’s still annoying. Like when you notice a plot gap or continuity error in a movie or TV series, to some it might seem like a small inconsequential thing but to others it causes a distraction that keeps gnawing like a dripping tap. But, this is the only negative thing I can say about the book.

It’s an interesting story told in a refreshing way and you keep turning the page to get to the juicy bits;

* What’s the story with Jude’s premonitions?

* How did Noah not get into art college when Jude did?

* How did their mother die?

* AND FOR GAWD SAKE when would they speak to each other and sort things out?

I’m not going to spill the beans, you’re going to have to read the book yourself to find out which (if any) of these plots will be resolved. All of the characters are relatable and real, the author does a fantastic job of allowing the reader to empathise with each of them, whilst the twins do horrible things to each other at the end of the day they’d still give up so much to make the other happy and eventually forgive each other. It’s also a great story following the lives of two artists, Noah confident in his abilities and Jude not so much but the way their individual struggles are captured is artistic and real. For me Jandy Nelson perfectly captures the inner thoughts and worries most artists (and writers) experience at some stage. The book covers all the usual topics; love (hetro and homo), heart break, death, loss, life struggles and forgiveness. All of these stories are well told and avoid cliché except for the homo relationship of Noah but the artists can’t get everything right. The book has won numerous awards and been shortlisted on several occasions. The highest accolade being the The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, awarded in 2015 by the ALA.

This is a book I will definitely be rereading to see can I get over MY  flashback issue, now that I know the ending I should be able to concentrate more on the style and content. The fact I’m willing to reread a book is probably incomprehensible to some people but to me it’s a high accolade, I read so much but there are few books I will reread. For now I’m giving this book a solid 8 out of 10 planets. After a reread it may climb to the lofty heights of 9.

John The Captain Ryan

As Brexit looms, let’s look at WHEN the BBC banned Star Trek The Next Generation

 Yes, you read that correctly … I used the word WHEN … not if or maybe … It already happened.

Space, the final frontier, these are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilisations. To boldly go where no one has gone before!

EXCEPT the BBC weren’t willing to boldly go with us.

Episodes of the Original Series had been banned (those with torture or difficult story-lines involving children - remember it was the 1960's) but this was the first time an episode of The Next Generation was banned...

(source - IMDB)

Stardate 43510.7

(Season 3, Episode 12 – On High Ground – original airing should have been in 1992)

This episode see the Enterprise at Rutia IV and getting heavily involved with a violent civil war. Lieutenant Commander Data notes that the Irish Unification of 2024 was an event that resulted in the creation of a single unified nation-state controlling the entire geographical island of Ireland. This unification came about due to the use of terrorism rather than peaceful acts to bring about political change.

We need to look at this in context. The "Troubles" were still ongoing and since 19th October 1988, when the Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd, issued a notice under clause 13(4) of the BBC Licence and Agreement to the BBC and under section 29(3) of the Broadcasting Act 1981 to the Independent Broadcasting Authority prohibiting the broadcast of direct statements by representatives or supporters of eleven Irish political and military organisations.

(source - NY Times)

The BBC were not alone, such a ban also existed in Ireland from 1981 - 1994. The logic was to not give those groups a voice on the airwaves to defend the use of violence. Both the BBC & RTE got around this on the news by having a voice over segment if someone like Gerry Adams was on, but many interviews and documentaries could not be aired (or in some cases not even made). Born in 1976 one of my abiding memories is the 9 o' clock news reporting on yet another bombing, revenge attack, punishment beating or killing by both sides. We all knew the names of the different groups, the areas and streets where the action was happening but couldn't really comprehend what was going on. When you're ten you don't really understand what's happening and unfortunately you even become immune to the daily announcements. More than 3,500 lost their lives, 52% of them were civilians. Whichever side of the conflict you lie on, I think we can all agree it is a dreadful part of our history. Some families are still waiting for the remains of their loved ones to be found.

But this doesn't answer why the episode was banned, it didn't fall under the censorship ban of not giving terrorists a voice on the national airwaves so I wonder what the BBC was afraid of, the idea of a unified Ireland or the fact it (fictionally) came about due to the use of terrorism. And now the old adage the more things change the more they stay the same.

If you are under 20 years of age and you see a picture like this, you wouldn't be blamed for thinking it was a photo from Russia or Israel. But you'd be wrong. Are we going to see British army on duty like this on the island of Ireland again - hopefully not.

But to get back to the topic and let's give some props to journalists and the job they do. It most cases they want to tell the important stories and those involved with television programming and planning want to bring us the viewer a wide variety of ideas and shows. It doesn't matter if some of us don't like it, you can always switch station. BBC staff at the time staged a one-day strike in protest that the BBC's independence was being undermined and we still see today where the press is being curtailed. 

(source Gerardela Fistiniere)

But I wonder if a disastrous Brexit happens, coupled with the growing force of right-wing politics across Europe what other freedoms will be curtailed. At least with the advent of technology and the internet we can see what we want even if the established broadcasting companies refuse to air controversial shows. It's still a sad state of affairs when a geek's daily fix of Star Trek is limited due to some stupid small minded ideas. In the same way that schools across America are refusing to teach LGBT history, will schools in the UK stop teaching children about the different European cultures and faiths? Will the right-wing conservative xenophobic agitators win or will the UK figure a way out of this mess before they start down a path of cutting themselves off from the rest of the World, because if they get far enough down that path they may not be able to backtrack.

In conclusion, it's a mess and if it leads to the British Army enforcing a border that nobody wants on the island of Ireland ... well all bets are off.

John The Captain Ryan.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (Book Review)

A fantastic tale of a spoiled bisexual British Lord romping around Europe – a great story where the aristocracy of the 18th-century meets Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. This is Book 3 in my 52-weeks, 52-books challenge.

In The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee  we follow the adventure of Henry “Monty” Montague who was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

As Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy. His sister Felicity is along for the ride – she is also one to buck convention, always has her head stuck in a book and wants to become a scientist or doctor when society expects her to be a “lady”.

We embark on a break-neck speed journey around Europe detailing a “Grand Tour”; the aristocracies 18^th century version of finding who you were, “one” got drunk, slept around and had fun. "One" spent the time schmoozing with other well-to-does around Europe, nurturing family ties and basically having a ball. But for Monty this goes spectacularly wrong – he gets drunk and rips the bodice from the wrong lady, he has to escape naked across a well manicured lawn but not before he steals a memento, something small that won’t be noticed – except it proves to be very valuable.

What follows is a marvellous chase death-defying chase; they are attacked by highwaymen, lose their chaperone, get jailed, drugged and then kidnapped (kind-of) by pirates. Then to Venice, a sinking island and finally … hang on there … you’ll have to read it yourself. Along the way in this historical accurate story we learn about class & racism in a unique and interesting way. We feel Monty’s heart breaking when he learns about his best friend – Percy – who has epilepsy and when their tour ends will be locked up in an insane asylum. They’ve never slept together but have loved each other for many years; their life and awkward love for each other is intelligently intertwined within this story – will they, won’t they – will it ruin their friendship – and will Monty find a cure or stop Percy being locked up for the rest of his life.

This book for me straddles the YA book World really well, for an experienced reader; it’s over 500 pages long, it’s historically accurate and the plot meanders a little but it’s still a fantastic, perfect for an avid reader that isn’t quite ready for the massive epics like Stephen King’s The Stand, or fantasy epics by Brent Weeks or Brandon Sanderson.

It’s an exciting read with a vivid picture of 18^th century Europe, a forbidden romance and pirates, frankly what else do you need. It’s definitely the case that the three main characters were born in the wrong century and this book if read in the classroom would generate lots of interesting debates and discussion.It is very well researched and written. 

The verdict, a great read for either adults or advanced young adult readers, I give this book an 8 out of 10 planets. For me there was a little too much history and not enough attention given to the plot, but, then again, I always hated history in school. It’s still a great read.

John The Captain Ryan

Snow Storm in Castlebridge, Wexford. (2nd March 2018)

The Beast from the East and Storm Emma causing havoc in Wexford.

So, I was out and about in Castlebridge on Friday 2nd March 2018 and took these photos during our trek. 

(Reading Rooms, Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(R741 towards Gorey from Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Porter House, Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Michael Sinnott Drive, looking towards Glasganny Road,Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Garden of Remembrance, Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Freddies Post Office, Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Cottage, Glasganny Road, Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Trekking into Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(If you like the photos, please don't be stealing them. Contact me by email for terms of use and high-res versions.) 

John the Captain Ryan

Ender's Game, War of Gifts (book review)

This is a graphic novel based on the Ender series of novels by Orson Scott Card. This is Book 2 in my 52-weeks, 52-books challenge.

I have already written a review of Ender in Exile and there was also a movie based on Ender's Game made in 2013 staring heavyweights Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley. I enjoyed the movie but it was received poorly by the public, yet it grossed over €110 million in the box office so there seems to be some discrepancy there!. The books are very enjoyable even though the author - IMHO - is an ass and a homophobe. Much has been written about him and there was an organised boycott of the movie by many LGBT groups (who happen to be fans of science-fiction) 

But, I'll blog more about that later. To concentrate on this novel, I'm sorry to say it is a very pale comparison to either the movie or any of the popular books written about Ender Wiggins. This publication includes 4 stories (previously published in separate comics) based on events in the books;

Recruiting Valentine - a short ditty about how Peter, Enders brother recruited their sister Valentine to manipulate people. This is a poor story that doesn't even come close to explaining the complex relationship between all three siblings and/or how dangerous the oldest brother Peter actually is.   

War of Gifts - This story is a lot more interesting, following how a recruit - Zeck - gets to battle school and his struggle with his faith (beaten into him by his zealous father). In Battle school nobody is allowed to practice their faith in a public manner. This story is a lot more interesting, I don't remember it in any of the books (but there has been quite a few) but dips it's toe into the World of today - celebrating Christmas without any secular references, a challenge in schools all the time. In this story there is an interesting social question being asked - a recurring theme in all of Orson Scott Card's work - and it sits well in the middle of this novel. It reminds us of the struggle that people with strong faith have in the World of today and also the evil side of the zealots. Even though Zeck isn't a perfect student, in fact he is dreadful as his vow to never hurt anyone goes against everything the school is drilling into the students, Graff the head of the school refuses to send him home to be beaten by his father. 

Mazer in Prison - this tells us of how Admiral Mazer Rackam was sent on a very long space journey - in real time it takes decades but due to space-time-travel is only five years for him. This allowed the International Fleet to keep him on-ice as an asset to fight against the Formics in the future. Hyrum Graff (a lieutenant with many masters) had been tasked with the responsibility of finding a fleet commander with the same traits as Mazer. Mazer was eventually coerced into helping but managed to convince the I.F. to allow Graff full autonomy at the school to find a proper replacement for him. This story is really good and helps summarise the relationship and work that Graff and Mazer are doing (and why). This part if the story is interspersed throughout so it's good to see it all together, one advantage of a comic is to extract a part of the story and make it more coherent and understandable.

League War - tells the story at the end of Ender's Game just after the genocide of the Formics by Ender (and his army). We get a further look into the psyche of Enders siblings and how manipulative his older brother Peter is. It explores how the graduates of command school will now return to an Earth that is on the brink of World-Civil-War. All the graduates including Ender will be in huge demand to lead the nations of Earth to final victory. With the use of the newsnets Peter (aka Locke) and Valentine (aka Demosthenes) publish several essays to first start war and then create a tentative peace. Peter manipulates Valentine into taking part, he enjoys the politiking, Valentine hates it but can't complain about the eventual outcome. But, it's a small window into Peter's World and the best story in this anthology. It could have gone a little further to bait the readers interest into reading the novels.  

   

Over all, this graphic novel is poor. Without prior knowledge and understanding of the Ender universe these 4 separate stories would mean nothing. These comics could have done a really good job of introducing new (and younger) readers to the Ender universe but fail. Whilst I've been a huge fan of Marvel for years these comics are a pale comparison to the novels, they bring nothing exciting and the art work is poor. The best page of artwork is the cover of Mazer in Prison, the rest is forgettable. In this case just stick with the books and avoid any of the comics. This graphic novel only earns a rating of 4 out of 10 planets, one of the worst reviews I've ever given.

John The Captain Ryan

What if it's us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera (Book Review)

A fun story of Ben and Arthur, will they, won't they? A classic story of a doomed romance, or is it. Maybe, just maybe this is "the one". The first book in my 52 weeks, 52 books challenge of 2019.

What if it's us charts the adventure of two young men, Arthur who is only in New York for the summer but believes in Broadway miracles and dreams of playing the leading roll in his own fantastical musical in a magical universe of romance. He is a die-hard romantic that believes in "the one". An exciting new universe awaits him.

Ben, a NY native has just broken up with his boyfriend and thinks that very same universe can mind it's own business. Whilst visiting the post office to send a box of stuff back to his ex both he and Ben meet.

They don't exchange address, phone numbers, emails or even names but both want to meet the other again, so, the chase begins. How to connect ... and then after several do-overs can they even make this work.  

What if it's us is written by two fantastic authors, heavyweights in the LGBT young adult fiction genre; 

Becky Albertalli the amazing mind behind Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and sequel Leah on the Off Beat with the massive successful movie Love, Simon being released in 2018. 

And Adam Silvera, author of They Both Die at the End, History is all you Left me, (which got a 10 out of 10 planets review from me) and More Happy than not.

I can imagine it's exciting but difficult to write a book with another person, but these two worked really well together, I presume that each author had a main character each and this works really well, giving a different feel and language to each one. Rather like the other huge success I read a couple of years ago Will Grayson, Will Grayson written by John Green & David Levithan (two other heavyweights in the genre).

The chase is really fun and gives an opportunity to delve into the lives of both characters, we meet their friends and families; their respective friends helping them to connect with each other and support their new found ... perhaps doomed ... relationship. I really liked Ben's story, rocked from a messy break-up with a good friend (never date a friend) their mutual friends are caught in the middle, to make matters worse Ben and his ex are attending summer school together, so they can't get away from each other. Worse still, Ben doesn't tell Arthur he sees his ex every day so this is hanging over his head all the time. Ben's story is very realistic and charts the stormy path one must travel getting over a break-up with a good friend; navigating and defining a new relationship with that friend and other mutual friends. It's a real mess in a real World.    

The other main character Arthur is also interesting, working as a gopher in his mothers law firm for the summer so his future is very uncertain. He won't be staying in New York, so is there any point in even trying to meet someone and build a romance. Most would think it's doomed to fail but not Arthur, he believes in a magical universe of love and romance and the Broadway musical so he is going to create his own musical with himself, of course, being one of the main characters. Whilst a little cliched ... wow the  gay boy loves musicals ... it does allow the reader to enter the mindset of Arthur and hope that maybe there will be a happy ending, just like in Broadway.

As they grow closer, have several do-over first dates after 3 nightmare attempts where everything went wrong both boys start questioning will it work, are they both in the same place, are they even compatible. Ben struggles with school work and Arthur sails through. Ben has no solid plans for university (he probably won't get in anyway) and Arthur has his Ivy League education planned. Ben hasn't got over his break-up and wants to make amends with his friends, Arthur is leaving New York after the summer (which they refuse to discuss) so will all these things making it impossible for Ben and Arthur to have a meaningful romance ... you'll have to read it to find out !!!

With great news that What if it's us will be made into a movie - Read more here - this is bound to be another huge success, although may not reach the heights of Love, Simon which grossed over €40 million. I really liked the book, it's well written by two artists who really understand the lives of young LGBT people and help us struggle with them through their fledgling romance. Neither is the book leaning on common tropes of homophobia, coming-out or a story of young LGBT people not being loved and supported by their family and friends and for this reason alone I love the book. Instead we have a normal teenage rom-com, the only difference being the two characters are gay, otherwise it's normal, well, because it is.

The only negative I can say about the book is the nagging suspicion as you are reading it that there will be a silly superfluous Disney-esque solution to the ending and this clouded my enjoyment of the story. Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil the ending, that's all I'm saying. it's still a good read and I'll give it an 8 out of 10 planets.

John The Captain Ryan.