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Teh log of teh Kell
My journal is now for books I've read and book reviews (and maybe other reviews too). And, recently it has come to be used for updates on my upcoming charity. =)
A Couple of Novels on HOMOSEXUALITY =)
I've gotten tired of doing a single book review a day. There are so many books to review, after all. That's why I've decided to put a few vaguely similar books together in a category. Enjoy.
(If you're a homophobe, then this might be pointless, unless you are trying/willing to change your evil ways. xD)
(I can't remember exactly how the form goes, so I'm improvising and make changes as I see fit. Don't complain at me, a'ight?)
Sorry for any screwy ttyping, my keyboards being a hoebag.

Series Reviews

Rainbow Boys, Rainbow High, and Rainbow Road by Alex Sanchez
Rating: 10/10
Synopsis:
--Rainbow Boys: Three high school seniors, a jock with a girlfriend and an alcoholic father, a closeted gay, and a flamboyant gay rights advocate, struggle with family issues, gay bashers, first sex, and conflicting feelings about each other. (from bn.com)
--Rainbow High: Follows three gay high school seniors as they struggle with issues of coming out, safe sex, homophobia, being in love, and college choices. (from bn.com)
--Rainbow Road: During an eye-opening postgraduation summer road trip, each of the three very different boys also embarks on a personal journey across a landscape of love, sexuality, homophobia, and above all friendship. (from bn.com)
Possibility of a Series Continuation: There's mention of possibly continuing the series in the FAQs at AlexSanchez.com. Crosses your fingers with me, people.
Review: This series is the best series I have ever read. I'll leave that as it is. =)
The characters were all so lovable, between Jason's dilema and confusion, Kyle's patience, devotion, and yearning, and Nelson's insane style (snapping, crazy hair colors [hehe], and everything else). There wasn't a moment in the series where I felt bored. Ever. And I get bored really really easily. But what can I say? I loved how every chapter was a new character's perspective and view. (I know find myself missing it while reading other books...)
Alex Sanchez put out an awesome series here and you should DEFINITELY read it.

Book Reviews

Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
Rating:9.5/10
Synopsis:A group of gay and lesbian teenagers finds mutual support when they form the "Geography Club" at their high school. (from bn.com)
Prequels: None that I'm aware of.
Sequels: The Order of the Poison Oak
Review: Where to start... I suppose I should start by saying that this book was AMAZING. It was so easy to relate to and it presented problems I'd been thinking about and contemplating frequently. For example, Brian is like the school loner and the person who gets harassed. I myself had thought about not trying to make friends in high school to avoid friends and all of their crap, but I never thought about that side of matters.
While one of the main focuses was gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, it also dealt with feelings of exclusion from people around you, heterosexual or not. Peer pressure is a big role in it too, obviously, dictating how people act toward each other. Really sad, but true. =|
Read it. Get off your lazy arse and go to a bookstore or library and buy or borrow the book. It's freaking awesome.

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Rating: 9/10
Synopsis: This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he's found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul's not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
Prequels: None that I know of.
Sequels: None that I know of.
Review:An amazing book. I realize I keep saying this, but they're amazing books! It's not my fault! Read 'em and you'll see what i'm talking about. =)
You can't read this book and not fall in love with the characters. Well, I suppose it might be possible, but I ended up loving all of the characters... The relationships were pretty realistic and so, so sweet and other times so, so cruel.
The only thing about this book I didn't like was the fact that everything seemed so perfect. Paul falls for a new student, who just so happens to be gay. Everybody basically accepts gays and lesbians. Not a big deal, though.

Pretty Things by Sarra Manning
Rating: 6.5/10
Synpsis: Brie is in love with Lancôme Juicy Tubes, Louis Vuitton accessories, and her gay best friend Charlie, who is in love with 1960s pop art, 1980s teen movies, and serial heartbreaker Walker, who has ever only been in love with his VW Bug, until he meets Daisy . . . who is too busy hating everyone to know what love is. Set in London, this girl-loves-boy-loves-boy-loves-girl romp is set against a theatrical production of The Taming of the Shrew, and features enough on- and off-stage drama to satisfy teens looking for a beach read—or a read all year round.
Prequels: None that I know of.
Sequels: None that I know of.
Review: I couldn't quite get a feeling for the characters, I felt. Many of the events seemed a bit off somehow. I'm not even sure quite how for the most part. Some parts, however, such as Daisy, the "LESBIAN" and basically anti-Walker, falling for Walker were a tad irritating.
The fact that Charlie felt something for Brie, even if only for a short moment was also a bit annoying. He's supposed to be a flaming homosexual, basically.
Other parts were predictable, such as Brie's boyfriend trying to rape her. It's something you know will happen as soon as it says her boyfriend stops pressuring her about having sex and becomes a good by, while before this sudden transformation he drank, smoked (not only cigarettes), and had sex with numerous women.
Not all that good. I wouldn't really recommend it, but meh. whatever. Read it if you're curious, don't if you're not.

Far From Xanadu by Julie Anne Peters
Rating: 4/10
Synopsis: In a small Kansas town, sixteen-year-old Mary-Elizabeth "Mike" Szabo tries to come to terms with her father's suicide and her own homosexuality. (from bn.com)
Prequels: None that I know of.
Sequels: None that I know of.
Review: Ew. This book really sucked. It was like 280 pages of torture.
I just could not feel the main character. She was so stupid and predicable sometimes. Throughout the whole book she ("Mike" wink obsesses over Xanadu, a straight, slutty girl who sold a girl E and end up indirectly killing her. She tells her everything, shows her everything, so on and so forth. They're bestest friends, blahblahblah. The only redeeming character was probably Jamie, "Mike's" gay guy friend. He wasn't exactly a leading character, however so he didn't help matters much.
The rating was a generous 4.

So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez
Rating:7.5/10
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Xio, a Mexican American girl, and Frederick, who has just moved to California from Wisconsin, quickly become close friends, but when Xio starts thinking of Frederick as her boyfriend, he must confront his feelings of confusion and face the fear that he might be gay. (from bn.com)
Prequels: None (but they mention Jason from the Rainbow Trilogy at one point. =D)
Sequels: None that I know of.
Review: This book was pretty good. For a younger reader (which is the target audience) it's a good introduction to the topic of homophobia and discovering one's sexuality.
Considering the target audience was a bit below my norm, I couldn't get quite as hooked on the series. It wasn't bad though.
This isn't really recommended to older audiences unless they wanna read about homosexuality in all sorts of ages. Overall, not a bad read.





 
 
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