Quarterly reads #2 and #3

 How we're already in October and getting closer to Christmas is beyond me. However this means that we are 3/4 of the way through the year and time for another quarterly reads update. I did my first post in April (read here) and was due to update you in June, however at that point I hadn't read much that warranted a post. Instead I decided to combine them with this post, which will satisfy us book lovers even more!

March to June reads

Unfortunately around this time I fell into a reading slump and all 3 of these books take less than an hour to read and I read in a 9 day period. I fell out of love with books and the thought of reading, even though this is when lockdown came into force and I should've been getting a lot of reading done. This time is what made me fall behind in my Goodreads reading goal, but I'm hoping to catch up and reach my goal.

The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse - Charlie Mackesy

There are very few times I'm left speechless after reading a book, especially when its a graphic novel/children's picture book. Despite being labelled as a children's book this is so inspirational for 

adults too. The conversations of Charlie, the mole, the fox and the horse, being the unlikely friends 

that they are, will leave a positive impact on your day and change the way you interpret life. 5 stars.

My solo exchange diary vol 2 - Kabi Nagata 

This is the sequel to my solo exchange diary vol 1 and the third book in the my lesbian experience with loneliness series. Again during this book she talks about her struggles with mental health and sexuality as well as tension with her family in a real manner rather than sugar coating and glorifying issues.  4 stars.

Lara Dean keeps breaking up with me - Mariko Tamaki

Graphic novels are something that I got into a lot last year and I heard so much about this book. Being a romance lover, the combination of that and a graphic novel appealed to every part of me. I found this very confusing as they didn't introduce characters as well as the story. It felt as if this was a sequel and was originally left on a cliff hanger. I did enjoy how this book ended and it was unlike any book I've read, however I wouldn't reread it and my expectations were let down. 3 stars.

June to September reads

From the end of June to end of August, Lucy Powrie hosted the #readwithpride summer readathon. It took place over 9 weeks with the the aim of reading one book a week. Out of the 9 books I wanted to read 7 (2 I wasn't interested in) and ended up reading 5. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to read week 1 or week 8's book yet, which I will definitely be doing as soon as I can. There are too many books on my TBR list at the minute, so it can be difficult to get around to reading everything. This readathon made me fall in love again with reading, and look forward to picking up a book when I can, to relax and escape.

Only mostly devastated - Sophie Gonzales 

This was the first book I read for the readathon and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. This has a Grease vibe to it, with 2 high school boys having a summer fling and finding themselves at the same school. With one being openly gay, and the other being scared to 'come out' they struggle with what to do and how to act and whether a relationship is on the cards. I loved this but it was slow and hard to get into at the beginning despite eventually not being able to put it down. 4 stars.

Greta's story - Valentina Camerini 

If I'm in a reading slump I like to pick up small books that can be read in less than an hour. This helps me get back into it slowly, without throwing myself in the deep end. I read Greta's book; no one is too small to make a difference and enjoyed reading about how everyone can make a difference in the world no matter how small. So when I saw a book about her story I definitely wanted to pick this up. This is only a short read and speaks about Greta's story since helping the environment and it's so amazing to read about her journey in such a small amount of time and how she has already influenced so many people. 5 stars.

Wonderland - Juno Dawson 

Although this only came out in May this year, I feel like I've heard it being talked about for years. I was worried about picking it up as it's the final book in a trilogy, however you don't need to have read the first 2 in order to read this. This is definitely unlike anything I've read before but has made me want to read more light fantasy. Alice starts playing detective when her friend Bunny goes missing and falls into a weekend long party, that is unlike a regular party. 3 days full of secrets and privilege what will she unravel and will she ever find Bunny? Only time will tell. 3 stars.

Black Flamingo - Dean Atta

I absolute love books that are written in verse. It's also very rare that I feel like I'm reading a story about a close friend, however this book made me feel exactly that. Mike talks about growing up black and gay and his journey in university. I found myself laughing along at his comments and feeling like I've known him my whole life. There were talks of stereotypes, race, sexuality, sex and so much more that was so beautifully written. I will definitely be recommending this and rereading it again. 5 stars.

Nick and Charlie - Alice Oseman 

I'm a huge fan of the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman, so a book dedicated to the main characters was something I wasn't going to miss out on. A lot of books with gay characters often focus on them being gay, where as them being in a regular relationship. Alice doesn't do this and focuses on them being a regular high school couple with their personal struggles such as Nick going off to uni and Charlie scared of being left behind. So excited to read more about this amazing couple! 5 stars.

Can everyone please calm down - Mae Martin

I love books about sex, and when Lucy included this on the readathon list I was beyond excited. A comedian talking about sex, relationships and sexuality. There's nothing better. Everything about this was perfect but the writing in particular. She spoke about more difficult situations that we can all relate to but by using comedy to help us feel less alone. I look forward to reading this again. 5 stars.

xoxo

Lea-Mai