Month In Review(s) - October 2016

October is over!!! And I'm sure most of you are currently stuffed with sweets and/or chocolate from Halloween.

So, without further ado my dearest nerdlets - let's get this wrap-up started!

October was a pretty cr*ppy month for me, depression-wise, but I'm lucky enough to have a) family, b) The Bestie, and c) all of you guys.

Seriously, I appreciate you guys a butt-tonne! You make me smile :)

And even though someone who I once considered cool - a fellow bookworm in fact - unfollowed me when I tweeted about LGBTQ+ things, the number of people actually doing that has reduced from what was happening last month.

This is possibly because I've put Sexually Fluid/Queer on my Twitter bio - so the a*shole bigots probably aren't following me to begin with.

And the very lastest day of this month saw my two-year blog anniversary! And with over 40k pageviews over all, and over 7k pageviews this month, DORA is still going strong (and I'm so surprised and happy, you honestly wouldn't believe it!)

So, to the books I reviewed this month:

Young Adult

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley - historical fiction, LGBTQ+ (F/F)

Adult

Finders Keepers by Stephen King - crime, thriller

Star-Shot by Mary-Ann Constantine - magic realism*, sci-fi* (*ish)

Comics/Graphic Novels

Bread and Butter #1 - contemporary

Ghoul Scouts: Night of the Unliving Undead - kids, horror, zombies

Last updated: 19th Feb 2026

Review Time! - Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

**This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links, which allow me to earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.**

**Please only use my affiliate links for .COM purchases, as I do NOT earn from other Amazon sites**

Title: Lies We Tell Ourselves

Author: Robin Talley

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+ (F/F)

A few starting notes:

Robin Talley is fast becoming one of my faves.

After reading As I Descended in September, I kind of... wanted more. So I found one of Talley's earlier books, Lies We Tell Ourselves - and dove right on in there!

That said, I was conscious of the fact that I'm a white woman, writing a review of a book by a white woman, with one of the two points-of-view being that of a black woman, and the major theme being race and desegregation.

So I put out a call on Twitter for any black people who had previously reviewed this book; it felt only right to get a black person's opinion if possible, otherwise it's just us white women talking about a book which has race at its heart.

The lovely Dee Dee @ Will Read For Food answered, and I am uber-pleased to be able to link to her review here :)

Her review is fab, so check it out! I'll also be quoting Dee Dee in the course of my review :)

Premise:

The late 1950s. Virginia.

Sarah is one of the first black students to ever go to the local, previously all-white, high-school.

She and a small contingent from the local black high-school take that first step towards integration; they thought it would be difficult... but did they think it would be this difficult?

To make things even more complicated, Sarah's eye has inexplicably wandered to Linda Hairston - the daughter of the local voice of pro-segregation, and herself an advocate against integrated schools.

Sarah and Linda are on opposite sides of the integration battle - so why, more than anything, do they want to spend time together?

Best bits:

Hrjgtnepthmmkgyrhnlke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DUDES, THIS BOOK!!!!!!

We have complex characters, deep themes, and an F/F love story that doesn't feel as if it was shoehorned in at the last minute.

All that is awesome enough - but Robin Talley can also write, and it's to her credit that she balances all of the different aspects of this book.

Talley does exceptionally well in showing the realities of desegregation, and the general prejudice Sarah's family and friends face.

She doesn't sugar-coat the process of black and white students going to the same school, but neither does she lose sight of integration being the greater good.

This is what Dee Dee thought on this point:

'This is one of those books that I’ll recommend to anyone that says to me that the #BlackLivesMatter movement is doing more harm than good. Once upon a time it was thought that desegregation would do more harm than good as well.'

I loved Sarah and Linda.

But wait, Cee, how can you like a bigoted character?

Because she has a rocking story arc! Because the change in Linda is... I think Dee Dee says it better:

'Linda's character growth was beautiful to witness. She moved from a closed-minded status quo POV to someone who finally thought for herself.' 

Sarah is strong - she struggles a lot with what she's going through: both the attitudes of the white students/teachers, and the fact that she is attracted to girls.

But throughout it all she is strong - and is my new book-girlfriend, because - wow! She rules.

Not so great bits:

Look, this book is heavy (metaphorically - I read the e-book so it was not, in fact, heavy.)

It deals with the harsh realities of this period of history, and doesn't shy away from the sh*t that black people had to deal with just to go to the same school as white people.

As such, it gets violent in places, it gets shocking often, and there's lots of racist slurs - including repeated use of the 'n' word. You've been warned.

Personally, my only problem with this book is the perennial problem with a good book - you can't leave it there! What happened next?!?!

Verdict:

The book! Guys, the book!

Or, as Dee Dee said far more eloquently (seriously, check out her review):

'This book leaves you feeling raw.'

UPDATE 27th November:

Recent discussion of this book has brought up issues with the racial representation in this book - especially the use of the 'n' word, and issues with Linda's early perspective.

While I still love this book, these are valid criticisms that I hadn't caught in my reading - and this is Robin Talley's response to them.

If you have any posts/reviews sharing your concerns with the racial rep. in this book, I'd be more than happy to share/link to them.

Amazon - Goodreads – Author's Site

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Last updated: 20th Feb 2026

Review Time! - As I Descended by Robin Talley

**This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links, which allow me to earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.**

**Please only use my affiliate links for .COM purchases, as I do NOT earn from other Amazon sites**

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Title: As I Descended 

Author: Robin Talley

Genre: YA, Ghost Story, Horror, LGBTQ+ (F/F and M/M)

Release Date: 6th September 2016

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

A young adult re-telling of Macbeth. In a boarding school. With LGBTQ+ protagonists. Hell yes!

I sooo wanted to read this - so much so that when my request to receive an eArc was declined on Edelweiss, I marched myself straight over the NetGalley to see if it was listed there.

And on NetGalley I was approved!!!!!!! XD XD

Happy book nerd all around!!!!!!!

Review Time! - Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

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Title: Labyrinth Lost 

Image Source

Author: Zoraida Córdova

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Witches, LGBTQ+ (M/F and F/F)

Series: Brooklyn Brujas #1

Release Date: 6 September 2016

Review time! - Nina Is Not OK by Shappi Khorsandi

Title: Nina Is Not OK

Author: Shappi Khorsandi

Genre: Contemporary, New Adult/NA, LGBTQ+ (M/F and F/F)

Release Date: 28 July 2016

Amazon: UK

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher, Ebury Press, via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

I love Shappi Khorsandi. Funny, smart, and just down-right awesome, she's one of my favourite comedians.

This book isn't comedy (no, no, and no,) but still, like the little magpie that I am, I saw her name on the cover and went 'ooh! shiny!'

And luckily the publishers granted my eARC request. Because otherwise I would have been very sad.

And sad bookish rebels aren't something you want on your hands.

Premise:

Nina Swanson is 17. Her mum says she drinks too much. But mums worry like that.

Every 17 year old has the odd drink, right? Every 17 year old gets into clubs if they can. Every 17 year old gets drunk.

Every 17 year old starts the day with a vodka shot or two...right? Every 17 year old does stuff with strange men...don't they?

It's normal to not be able to remember what you did, and with who... isn't it?

Except it isn't. And things are going to get dramatic.

Because Nina? She's not OK. Not even close.

Best bits:

For a start, can we have a big freaking round of applause for Nina as a character?

I loved her. Realistic. Complex. But also just your normal girl, trying to find her way.

She was fab, and Khorsandi does an excellent job of not judging her, and taking us alongside in the spirit of not judging.

Also, a bi-sexual girl of mixed-race descent, with mental health problems? She's diversity on two legs, and it doesn't feel like a gimmick or tokenism, which is awesome.

And you really do root for Nina.

You want her to be alright. You want her to make it. Because Khorsandi weaves us into her life to the point where you do care about her.

A big shout-out has to go to Max, the father of Nina's best friend, Beth, who single-handedly manages to be the most capable parent (and not just to his own kid,) and least douche-bag-like member of the male gender, in this book.

Well done Max, well done.

Khorsandi skips and dances along the lines of sensitive subjects - showing a deftness of prose which is more than impressive.

Doubly so when you consider that this is her first novel (her previous book, A Beginner's Guide to Acting English (UK - US) was an account of her family's immigration to the UK.)

This was one of those books that leads you on and on with very little chance of letting you go.

You have to find out what happens next. You have to see what will happen to Nina.

It's not a choice - it's mandatory to read and finish this book, even when you're mentally screaming WHY BOOK, WHY?!?!?! at the top of your metaphorical lungs at all the feels.

(SO MANY THE FEELS!!!)

You still have to read it. You have to. Go, go read it now. It's excellent.

GO READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Not so great bits:

This is not one for people who are offended by swearing. Like, seriously. Lots of swearing. Many times. On pretty much every page.

I personally could've done with a little less detail on the ugly-drunken-sex front. Just saying. It was... yeah... less detail would've been lovely.

Realistic, I suppose, but I can see some people being down-right offended by the grim sexy-times.

There're a lot of issues which could be distressing to people here - including, but not limited to (because man, there is a lot going on in this book,):

• sexual assault
• rape
• consent issues
• mental health issues
• alcoholism
• family issues
• suicide
• trolls
• 'slut-shaming'
• emotionally abusive relationships

See? Told you there was a lot going on in this book.

It's not one for the faint of heart, quite plainly. There's some serious sh** going down here. So be warned.

Verdict:

If your interest is even slightly piqued by this review, go read the book.

Go on. Go read it. I'll wait.

Go. Read. The. Book. ;)

Buy Now UK - Goodreads – Author's Site

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Mini-Review! - Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

Title: Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

Author: Jeanette Winterson

Genre: (Modern) Classics, LGBTQ+, F/F

Amazon: UK - USA

Verdict:

This is held up to be a modern classic, so I figured - why not? It looked interesting, after all.

I think this book doesn't get read enough because it's about *whispers* lesbians. We need to get over the narrow-mindedness, in all honesty.

Let me explain something straightaway, though - given the knowing glances and reluctance to talk about this book, I was expecting there to be sexy-times.

There was none of the sexy-times in this book. There were references to the sexy-times, but that's all. And even those are fairly tame, to be perfectly honest.

And I'm always honest with you guys ;)

This is a book about the fictional Jeanette (not to be confused with the real Jeanette,) a girl being raised in an evangelical Christian family up North in the 60s/70s.

They're raising her to be a missionary and do the Lord's work.

This is fine until Jeanette falls in love with another girl. Then the problems start.

This is a semi-autobiographical novel, where the author uses aspects of her own life to create a fictional version of herself.

I really enjoyed this book. The fable-style interludes were cool, and the way the characters were written was the right mix of affection, humour, and frustration.

It was also hugely readable, and quite short (less than 200 pages - practically bite-sized!) And if you want an interesting read, it's a sure-thing.

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads – Author's Site

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The Diverse Books Tag

**This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links, which allow me to earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.**

**Please only use my affiliate links for .COM purchases, as I do NOT earn from other Amazon sites**

This tag was invented by Naz @ Read Diverse Books, who wants to get everyone reading diverse books.

And you guys all know that I want to get everyone reading books of any type. So there's a lot of crossover space there ;)

My Contemporary YA TBR

I'm not usually much of a contemporary-genre reader, but I've been meaning to read more and more books that fall into that category.

I more than partially blame the bookish community online (you know I love you guys!) because their enthusiasm is uber-infectious.

I guess it's proof that reading is a communicable disease - and one that we need to get out there and spread ;)




This, then, is my contemporary YA TBR (To-Be Read list.)

A lot of people have slightly different definitions of what the contemporary genre actually is.

I basically went with a modern-ish setting and no magic, sci-fi, paranormal, or horror elements.

The rules can probably be bent six ways from Tuesday, but this is my list.

It's pretty damned long, so just be glad that I didn't decide to post my full TBR - we'd be here all day ;)




Unfortunately, there's only so fast a girl can read.

So it's going to take me an epically long time to get through this. Not least because I can't afford this many books.

And most of them aren't available from my library system (trust me, I checked.)

Still, I'll make my way through a fair few I'm sure.




Obviously, since I haven't read these books, I don't know how good (or not,) they are.

Hopefully they'll be worth the read!

• Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

This is about beauty contestants stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere.

And with a premise like that, I just had to add it to my list.



• She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick

I added this to my list because I read Blood Red, Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick yonks ago, and loved it.

This one is about a blind girl, Laureth, who is trying to find her missing father.



• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

This book has won a butt-load of awards, and people talk about it a lot, so I figured it was one to give a chance.

It's about the experiences of a Native American boy at the local (white-populated) high-school.

UPDATE 2026: In 2018 Sherman Alexie (Spokane) was accused by several women of sexual harrassment

• Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X Stork

Marcelo is autistic and has always been protected from 'the real world.'

But one summer, his father decides it's time to introduce him to life as the rest of us know it, and gets him a job at his law firm.

• Read Me Like a Book by Liz Kessler

An LGBTQ+ book that's about a girl who has a crush on her female English teacher.

It looks fairly interesting, so on the list it went!



• Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

A huge amount of you lot out there in bookish internet-land are massive Sarah Dessen fans, and this one sounds interesting - it's about a girl whose brother is in prison.

I added this to my list because the lovely Tina @ As Told By Tina had it on her list of top ten contemporary novels.

• Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Another recommendation from the lovely Tina, this is about a girl who's stuck at a boys' school with only three other female students.



• Shade Me by Jennifer Brown

This might count more as crime than contemporary - but it can be contemporary crime, right?

It looks pretty damned interesting - it's about a girl named Nikki who sees emotions as colours due to synaesthesia, and ends up trying to solve a crime.



• Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

A bunch of you have read and loved this. And there's been a lot of general buzz/hype about it since it was published last year.

Another LGBTQ+ title, this is about a teenage boy who's very firmly in the closet, and some flirtatious e-mails ending up in the wrong hands.



• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Everyone seems to like this book - and I read Ann Elise Monte's review which convinced me to finally bite the bullet and add it to my groaning TBR.

Again, an LGBTQ+ title, this also has a butt-load of awards, and was on Tina's list - so lots of ringing endorsements here, there, and everywhere.



• All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely

This might've been a Goodreads recommendation - I honestly can't remember.

This is about a black kid who ends up in hospital after a police officer beats him, and the white kid who witnessed the whole thing.

It seems pretty topical, and, if done right, could be pretty amazing.



• Panther by David Owen

I actually really want to read this - it's about a boy whose sister has depression, and its effect on both her and the family.

As you probably know if you've read this blog before, I have depression. And I'm really interested to see how it's dealt with in this book.

 

• Starring Kitty by Keris Stainton

Amazon: UK - US

Another LGBTQ+ title, this is about Kitty, who falls for another girl, Dylan, but doesn't want anyone to know. Dylan though, doesn't want to be kept a secret.

 

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Loads of people love this book - probably at least partially due to the movie.

My BFF says it's good, and she's usually a fairly good judge of taste. So on the list it went!

 

• One by Sarah Crossan

I read a review of this one by the lovely Emily @ The Paperback Princess. And I guess she got it stuck in my head.

Also, it's a novel in verse, and I've never read a novel in verse before.

 

• The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

This is a book about a transgender girl, and deals with trans issues.

There's been a lot of general buzz/hype-ish-ness around it, and mostly good things. So I figure I'll get round to it at some point.

 

• Remix by Non Pratt

This was a Goodreads rec. which I'm none-too-sure about. I figure I'll give it a try anyhow.

It seems to be about a music festival... or something.




• The Manifesto on How to be Interesting by Holly Bourne

This is a book about a girl who loves to write. It also deals with mental health issues.

So, obviously, I had to add it to my TBR. Immediately.



 

• Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

I've heard good things about David Levithan.

And this seems cute, so I might give it a shot.

 

• Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

Another title that I don't know much about, this is another LGBTQ+ title that focuses on trans people/issues.

• How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran

I absolutely adore Caitlin Moran - she rocks.

All of her books are on my main TBR (and I will get around to all of them - eventurally!) but as this is a YA contemporary novel, this is where it goes.

This is basically all about being a teenage girl in 1990 (shh, it counts as contemporary now!)



• All of the Above by Juno Dawson

Juno Dawson is like my star sign - because she's just a star.

 

I read Hollow Pike by Juno Dawson years ago - and absolutely loved it. She tends to write books with a paranormal edge - which is why this is the only one on my 'contemporary' TBR.

There are definitely other books of hers that I want to read!

Also, check out her YA diversity list for more recommendations - it's awesome!

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Last updated: 25th Feb 2026