June books
Jun. 5th, 2019 09:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cyphomandraI am joining in rachelmanija's monthly challenge of posting about books right after reading them (a concept I am apparently unfamiliar with!). So far..
Brave, Svetlana Chmakova. Second in a graphic novel series about middle school (yet another reading-this-before-I-send-it-to-the-niece-I-bought-it-for). Jensen dreams of saving the world from various threats (especially sunspots) but reality is much harder. The other kids in the art club (which he loves) keep leaving him out of things, no one picks him to do a class project, and the school newspaper crew only want him around because they want to talk to him about bullying - but Jensen doesn’t want to admit that he is being bullied, rather than just having a few bad moments. This is nicely done with a lot of great characterisation, and it’s particularly good in showing how little decisions can build up into a culture, for good or bad. Will look out for the others.
Changing Lines, RJ Scott and VL Locey. Hockey m/m, first in a series about a new team; I’ve been reading a few sports romances recently with what I can only describe as variable success (I am open to recs of any high-perfomance sports f/f romances?). In this one Ten, the youngest of three brothers who all play high-level hockey, joins a new team to get out of his brothers’ shadows, and falls for the coach, Jared, who is a family friend (he’s 33, Ten is early 20s) and openly bi. Ten is cheerfully enthusiastic and manages to come out to his parents, his brothers, his team, various managers and the world with an encouraging but not entirely convincing lack of drama, while Jared, who has a 17 year old son who is also a talented hockey player, is mainly trying to protect his son from going pro too early due to grandparental pressure, and is not apparently at all perturbed by a coach/player relationship. The characters are stronger than the story, except when they veer towards the sentimental at which point everything becomes doused in treacle, and it didn't really engage me.
rachelmanija's monthly challenge of posting about books right after reading them (a concept I am apparently unfamiliar with!). So far..Brave, Svetlana Chmakova. Second in a graphic novel series about middle school (yet another reading-this-before-I-send-it-to-the-niece-I-bought-it-for). Jensen dreams of saving the world from various threats (especially sunspots) but reality is much harder. The other kids in the art club (which he loves) keep leaving him out of things, no one picks him to do a class project, and the school newspaper crew only want him around because they want to talk to him about bullying - but Jensen doesn’t want to admit that he is being bullied, rather than just having a few bad moments. This is nicely done with a lot of great characterisation, and it’s particularly good in showing how little decisions can build up into a culture, for good or bad. Will look out for the others.
Changing Lines, RJ Scott and VL Locey. Hockey m/m, first in a series about a new team; I’ve been reading a few sports romances recently with what I can only describe as variable success (I am open to recs of any high-perfomance sports f/f romances?). In this one Ten, the youngest of three brothers who all play high-level hockey, joins a new team to get out of his brothers’ shadows, and falls for the coach, Jared, who is a family friend (he’s 33, Ten is early 20s) and openly bi. Ten is cheerfully enthusiastic and manages to come out to his parents, his brothers, his team, various managers and the world with an encouraging but not entirely convincing lack of drama, while Jared, who has a 17 year old son who is also a talented hockey player, is mainly trying to protect his son from going pro too early due to grandparental pressure, and is not apparently at all perturbed by a coach/player relationship. The characters are stronger than the story, except when they veer towards the sentimental at which point everything becomes doused in treacle, and it didn't really engage me.
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Date: 2019-06-05 07:07 pm (UTC)