Goodreads

For a while now, I've been double blogging here and at Goodreads.  I've decided to just move on over there.  If you want to, you can find me by searching for Nicholina on Goodreads.com.  Thanks to anyone who has been reading here. 

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

I'd read George not too long ago and had heard that Gracefully Grayson was basically the same book.  I only thought George was okay, so I put off reading Gracefully Grayson.  It recently came to my attention again and I decided I'd go ahead and give it a go.  It's a short read, so I started it last night and finished it this morning.

There are a lot of similarities between George and Gracefully Grayson.  In both books, we have a transgender girl.  That is, a kid who was born with a male body but is actually a girl inside.  In both cases, the kids audition for a girl part in a school play.  Also, in both, they're hiding who they really are at the beginning and are making strong starts toward being true to themselves by the end. 

However, the feel of Gracefully Grayson was different for me.  It's for a slightly older audience and Grayson felt more like a real kid to me.  I felt a lot for Grayson and cried a bit in parts.  I simply felt more connected to Grayson and the story.

Alex and Ada by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn

So, in keeping with expanding my reading interests, I actually read two graphic novels yesterday.  The second was Alex and Ada.  I really liked it. 

Alex and Ada is a scifi story in which Alex is gifted a robot that he doesn't want but then can't get himself to return once she's there.  He names her Ada.  I'll leave it at that.

I like scifi generally and the story, well, really, the beginning of the story was pretty decent.  Also, I found the graphics really appealing.

I'll definitely get the next volume.

Lumberjanes Friendship to the Max

Friendship to the Max is the second volume of Lumberjanes.  I still feel a little ambivalent about Lumberjanes and I think maybe this will be my last one.  I don't particularly care about the plot line (which was practically nonexistent in the first one, but more developed in this one), but was liking the character development in the first one.  I just didn't really feel like that went anyplace this time.  I see why people (girls in particular) would be drawn to Lumberjanes, but it just isn't really working for me.

Moonshifted by Cassie Alexander

I seem to be on a supernatural kick at the moment, no?  I finished listening to Moonshifted yesterday.  It's the second in the Edie Spence series.  Obviously, I liked the first one enough to continue with the series.  I didn't like the second one as much.  There were a few continuity issues between the first and second book in my opinion.  I also got a little annoyed that Edie didn't figure out what was up with the supplement her brother (of whom she's previously washed her hands in book 1) was selling.  The sex scenes came a bit out of the blue, but I guess that's just who Edie is and I don't really begrudge her sexual choices, but they also didn't make me like the book any better.  I did finish it, so it was okay, but I think I'm done here.

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

Vision in Silver is the third Novel of the Others by Anne Bishop.  Seeing as how it's the third, I won't go into plot at all.  I will say, though, that I'm still enjoying this series.  It has the same overall problems for me that the first two did:  too much of the stereotypical women stuff (don't ask if it's a women's time of the month, going shopping with women is scary, ect.), a little bit of wrapping things in unnecessary mystery that then isn't much of a reveal.  But, as it's the third in the series and I'm still reading, I obviously enjoy the series.  I find the interplay between the humans and the Others interesting.  I appreciate the ruthlessness of the Others.  I do like these books more than not and have enjoyed the read on all three thus far.

Far From Home by Lorelie Brown

Far From Home is a romance between Rachel, recovering anorexic, deeply in debt and ostensibly straight, and Pari who is in need of a green card.  Rachel, from whose point of view the story is told, blurts out "I would marry you," at a party.  Pari, who is comfortable financially, thinks this is an idea to explore.  Faster than I would have thought such a decision should be made, they hatch a plan and move in together.  This plan gives Rachel some financial relief and Pari a marriage leading to citizenship.  However, as they do, things get more complicated.  In addition to the romance and impending marriage, there is the underlying issue of Rachel's struggle with anorexia.

I found Far From Home a fairly enjoyable, quick read.  It progresses much like you might think and I found it very readable.  For me, the sex talk was a little more raw than is my cup of tea, but I'm pretty vanilla, so take that with a grain of salt.  What I didn't love was that everything happened so quickly.  It was pretty close to instalove in my opinion.  Yes, these two were living together, but they also spent a lot of time avoiding each other, not building a relationship, even though Rachel is very quickly, it seems, in love.  It seemed more like infatuation, which, to be fair, they both sort of acknowledge, but then I didn't really see how it could have moved past that given the interactions we saw.  In general, it was the shortness of this book that I felt lead to the things I didn't care for:  not quite enough relationship development, not enough character development of secondary characters, not quite enough of Rachel's work situation.

So, as is often the case with books and me, I liked it but didn't love it.  If you're working your way through the lesbian romance genre, I wouldn't skip this one.  If not, I don't know that this would be one I'd have you seek out.