Book Review: "Seriously...I'm Kidding"

I'll admit; after the last Ellen book I read (which has the prior review on this blog), I was more than a little hesitant to read this one. But I plowed on, and I'm happy that I did, as this book was much more well-written than its predecessor. It's still written as a collection of short stories -- some seemingly stream of consciousness -- but unlike the last book, it doesn't feel so A.D.D. that it almost seems like you're reading the ramblings of a cocaine addict. (I mean no disrespect whatsoever to Miss Ellen.) This has a much smoother pace, and for it, I was able to appreciate the humor much more and just all around enjoyed the book a lot more, and for that, it wins a 4 star rating!

Book Review: "Queer Kids: The Challenges and Promise for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth"

Queer Kids: The Challenges and Promise for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth by Robert E. Owens Jr., PhD is a comprehensive handbook/guidebook for teenagers and families of teens who are discovering their own sexuality among the LGBT spectrum. It covers important issues such as the coming out process, homophobia, the AIDS epidemic, etc. As it's more of a textbook than anything, it's written very dryly, but for anyone looking for informative purposes in discovering themselves, this is a good place to start. The back section of the book is loaded chock full of further LGBT resources to turn to as well. It'd be a useful tool to have in your arsenal, so if you're among the LGBT spectrum and a teenager, I'd highly recommend picking up a copy of this. 3 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: "Annie On My Mind"

It's long been established that Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden is basically considered to be essential reading material among the LGBT crowd. That said, it took me many years to track down the book in its physical format (I once found it in ebook form, but I have a hard time staying focused with ebooks -- I digress). And I'm glad that I finally got a chance to read this classic.

The story of Liza and Annie is quite an honest look not only at teenage love, but at finding oneself during those tumultuous teenage years -- made invariably more difficult when struggling with defining one's sexuality at the same time. It's a confusing, scary, secretive time (and one that I know all too well from first-hand experience) with more layers to it than an onion. And this story explores many of them. (Not all -- everybody's story is different -- but a lot that are fairly universal among the LGBT community.) Add in the additional factor of one of the girls going to an uppity private school and all hell breaking loose for it, being treated as some sort of social perversion (another thing that I identify first-hand with) and you've got an interesting, honest look at what quite a few of us have gone through. I only wish I had known this book existed back when I was a teenager, when it would've make me feel so much better to know I wasn't the only one.

The wrap-up of the story at the ending goes by far too quickly, and I wish it would have delved more into how it got from point A to point B, so I do knock this book down a few pegs for that, but ultimately, it's well-written and I still highly recommend it. 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: "Kissing Kate"

Kissing Kate is a book about self-discovery during a critical period in a young girl's life. Essentially, the gist is that two best friends go to a party; one of them gets drunk, and things go a little too far with a kiss. And then neither of them know how to deal with it, or interpret their own feelings about what had just happened. Much as in real life, there's a lot of turmoil surrounding the situation, and none of it is cliche. It's heart-wrenchingly real.

Sexuality is a hard thing to figure out, especially when you're still a teenager. Everybody feels mixed up and confused at some point or another, whether they want to admit it or not - gay, straight, or bi. A lot of soul searching has to go on to figure one's self out. And oftentimes, guilt sneaks into the equation. Books like this most definitely help teens feel much more normal and self-assured in that whatever they are, it's okay to be that. The world will keep on turning, one way or another. As for myself, it particularly hit home, because it was when I was about 15 that I started questioning what I myself might be.

I give a big hats off to Lauren Myracle to not only writing this, but that it was her first novel. I'm going to give it a big 5 star review.