Welcome
Greetings, greetings, fellow book gazers! It is truly summer now- in both the meteorological and astronomical senses. As you undoubtedly already know, June is Pride Month here in the United States. In keeping with that theme, we are recommending some of our favorite LGBT+ books. We’ve featured several LGBT+ books in past issues and have included a roundup of those.
We have two featured author spotlights this month from Rhys, as well as a deep dive into the world of Michael Crichton, written by our frequent contributor, John. If you love Jurassic Park but have only seen the movie, you’ll definitely want to read this piece to see what you’ve been missing out on.
We finish up, as usual, with what we’re looking forward to. These are books yet to be published that we are excited about. We are sharing with you so you can put your holds on at your local public library!
As always, we’d love to hear from you! We especially want to know if you’ve read a book based on our recommendations - and what you thought of it. You can reach us at: thewellroundedreader@gmail.com or you can leave a comment for us on Substack.
As always, we hope that everyone is well. Be good to each other.
Clarice, Rhys, and Jennifer
Pride Month!
The Guncle by Steven Rowley (CP)
Patrick is a former television star who has lived (or rather, existed) semi-reclusively in Palm Springs since his show ended almost a decade prior, set in his ways as a single gay man in his mid forties who has not formed any significant emotional attachments since losing his partner. He rarely sees anyone, including his family back in Connecticut, until tragedy strikes: his brother’s wife (who was also Patrick’s best friend from college) passes away after a long illness, leaving behind two young children and a husband who has developed a drug addiction. Suddenly, Patrick is GUP (short for Gay Uncle Patrick), taking on the role of temporary primary guardian of a niece and nephew who he barely knows beyond a few visits, while his brother spends a few months in rehab. While the book is certainly funny, particularly due to Patrick’s wry humor and his interactions with six-year-old Grant and nine-year-old Maisie, it is also a book about grief, forgiveness, and learning to live and love beyond life’s tragedies. This is a book that really stayed with me for a while after reading.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (RR)
I’m late to the party on this book, but better late than never, right? If you’re like me and missed out on One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston when it was first published last year, I highly recommend giving it a try. The story centers on August, a 23-year-old college student and cynic, who moves to New York City on her own, without much of a plan besides to keep to herself and trust no one besides herself and her pocket knife. But she didn’t account for her new roommates, the wonderful 24-hour pancake diner she’s started working at, or the gorgeous girl - Jane - she keeps running into on the Q. And she definitely didn’t plan on finding out that Jane may be lost in a wrinkle of time from the 1970s. This is a hilarious, sweet, and sexy romance novel with some mystery and supernatural elements mixed in . I also super appreciated that although the main story centers on August and Jane’s time-defying romance, there’s plenty of character development for both of them and August’s new roommates and found queer family.
The Montague Twins by Nathan Page and Drew Shannons (jl)
This graphic novel series for teens has a bit of a Scooby Doo vibe to it (I’m always in for anything with a Scooby Doo vibe!) but the magic is real. Twins Pete and Alistair Montague live in a coastal New England town in the 1950’s with their adoptive family, their parents having died some years previous. The first book in the series, The Witch’s Hand, deals with witchcraft, unsurprisingly given both the title and the proximity to Salem. The second book, The Devil’s Music, deals with the pernicious influence of Rock and Roll. (Just to be clear: if you think rock music is actually the work of the devil, it is extremely unlikely that you will enjoy this series.) While Pete comes out to his brother in volume 1, it is Pete’s relationship with musician Gideon that is pivotal in volume 2. I really like that Pete’s sexuality is part of the story but also that it’s just one part. There is far more to Pete than just the fact that he is attracted to men. I have loved both books in this series and can’t wait for more! (Note: any Hollywood types reading our newsletter should really think about making this one into a movie or a tv show, imho.)
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (CP)
This book is fun and joyful, but also incredibly heartfelt. Growing up in a small town in Indiana, Liz, a Black teenage girl whose family isn’t as wealthy as some of her classmates’ families, has always felt somewhat out of place. The town she lives in is particularly known for being hyper-obsessed with prom, and Liz is determined to become the next prom queen in order to win the scholarship money that comes with the crown. With the prize, she plans to attend her dream college, play in their famous orchestra, and eventually become a doctor to help people like her brother, who has sickle-cell disease. Things get a bit complicated for her when she finds herself falling for Mack, the smart and funny new girl in school who is also running for prom queen. I loved everything about this book, especially Liz, who I pretty much wanted to be my best friend the whole time I was reading.
Everyone in this Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily R. Austin (RR)
Gilda is a 27-year-old lesbian and atheist who has accidentally accepted a job as a receptionist at the local Catholic church - and that’s just the beginning of her troubles. Gilda is obsessed with death, is consumed by anxiety, and is also now pretending to be the prior - deceased - church receptionist, Grace, in an email correspondence because she can’t handle telling Grace’s friend that she’s gone. But soon, the police reveal that there were some suspicious circumstances surrounding Grace’s death, and Gilda has placed herself right in the way of the investigation. Everyone in this Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily R. Austin is a very interior novel, focusing on the mental health and existential dread of Gilda as she struggles to find herself and what she wants from life. It’s darkly humorous, painful, and a cathartic read.
Nimona by ND Stevenson (jl)
(Note: Stevenson was going by the name Noelle at the time Nimona was made and published. Stevenson has asked to be called ND, rather than Noelle. Copies of Nimona may still have their former name, however.) Stevenson is probably best known for their work on the Netflix show She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Prior to this, they worked on a comic book series, Lumberjanes (which is also very queer and which I highly recommend!). And prior to Lumberjanes, ND Stevenson created a web comic series, Nimona, which was eventually packaged into a book and published. Nimona tells the story of Sir Ballister Blackheart, a villain bent on gaining revenge against Ambrosius Goldenloin, who took Blackheart’s arm in a duel. Nimona is an unusual girl who shows up unexpectedly, wanting to be Blackheart’s sidekick. Despite Blackheart’s repeated insistence that he neither wants nor needs a sidekick, Nimona refuses to leave and insinuates herself into all of Blackheart’s plans, usually causing them to go awry. This will be an animated feature sometime next year on Netflix, so do yourself a favor and read it now. That way you can be in the know far ahead of the curve.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (CP)
A highly-acclaimed young adult paranormal mystery that has appeared on many award lists, by the time I read this novel I was afraid it would be over-hyped. Instead, after reading it, I realized that it deserved all of the acclaim it received. Yadriel comes from a traditional Latinx family that is part of a long line of Brujx. Members of his family are blessed with special abilities upon reaching the age of 15 and performing a ritual: the brujas receive a piece of jewelry that gives them healing powers, while the brujos receive a dagger that allow them to sever a spirit’s connection the living world, allowing them to reach the other side. Yadriel is transgender, and his family (with the exception of his supportive cousin, Maritza) are having a difficult time accepting his gender and refuse to let him perform the ritual that will allow him to become a brujo. Yadriel and Maritza take matters into their own hands and perform the ritual themselves. In doing so, they inadvertently summon the spirit of Julian Diaz, a boy from Yadriel’s school who is determined to unravel the peculiar circumstances of his death before he agrees to pass on. This book is a paranormal romance mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time—definitely the type of book that you could find yourself staying up all night to finish.
Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh (RR)
This is a hilarious and heartwarming graphic novel centered around three (thirsty) mermaids - Pearl, Tooth, and Eez. After running out of drinks, they use magic to turn themselves into humans to continue their party - only to wake up hungover the next morning, with no idea how to turn back. With the help of the local bartender they befriended, Pearl, Tooth, and Eez have to survive and make sense of the human world, all while trying to find a way back to the water. Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh features fun, colorful art, queer found family, and discussions around mental health and body image. It’s a fun and heartwarming adventure - with queer mermaids!
Am I Blue? Edited by Marion Dane Bauer (jl)
I have two confessions to make. The first is that I read this book 20 years ago. The second is that I am really recommending the titular story in the book, which was written by the legendary Bruce Coville. The entire collection is made up of LGBT+ stories written by the biggest ya/middle grade authors of the mid-90s. It is possible that not all of the stories have aged well. I apologize in advance. The title story, however, has stayed with me since I read it somewhere around 2000 or 2001. I have read a lot of things in the intervening years and forgotten many of them, but not this one. It’s a short story so I can’t tell you very much without giving things away but here is a brief description: A boy is teased at school for being gay, even though he himself isn’t sure that he is. So when his fairy godfather appears and grants him a wish, he wishes that people who are attracted to the same sex would turn blue, just for 24 hours. And the deeper the attraction, the deeper the blue. I won’t tell you what happens when his wish comes true - you’ll have to read the story to find out for yourself!
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (CP)
Growing up in El Paso, Texas in the 1980s and meeting for the first time at the local pool, Ari and Dante form a strong bond and become nearly inseparable, despite seemingly being very different. Both boys feel like outsiders in their lives, and they meet each other just at the right time. This book is absolutely stunning. The prose is lyrical, and the dialogue is authentic and thoughtful. The first time I experienced this book, I listened to it (read by Lin-Manuel Miranda!). After finishing it, I loved it so much that I went back and read the print version just so that I could stay with the characters a little bit longer. Also, I cried. A lot. Not because of one emotion, but just kind of—all of them. Although the plot is quiet and subtle for the most part, the narrative moves along at the perfect pace. This book also has a sequel, Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World, which I loved just as much.
Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert (jl)
Alden and Conrad may play Odyssey (Think Magic: The Gathering) at the same gaming store but that is absolutely the only thing they have in common. When circumstances force them to drive cross country to OdysseyCon together - just the two of them - they learn that they have more in common than they previously thought. If you are not into games or things like Comic Con, please don’t let that stop you from reading this delightful romcom. Albert does a great job of making this community feel really understandable and accessible to the reader, even if they have never even collected so much as a baseball card. (Note: I do know that collecting baseball cards and playing MTG are not the same thing.)
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (CP)
This book was a lot of fun, and it was also very British, which made it even better. It also has one of my favorite romance tropes of all time—fake dating. Luc O’Donnell has always been reluctantly spotlight adjacent, as the child of two famous rockstars who split up when he was a young boy. With his father making a career comeback two decades later, Luc finds himself under scrutiny once more, making him realize that he needs to clean up his act lest he jeopardizes his job with just even a small misstep. Enter Oliver Blackwood—a respected barrister and a terrifically normal and scandal-free person. As it turns out, Luc and Oliver both would benefit currently from appearing to be in a nice and stable relationship. Despite having next to nothing in common, they agree to fake date as part of a mutually beneficial arrangement. Simple, right? No. Wrong. Inevitably, feelings get involved and things get messy, but also wonderful. A highly enjoyable read, and I can’t wait for the sequel to come out in just a few weeks!
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (jl)
Wallace was dead to begin with. The book starts at Wallace’s funeral when the reaper comes to collect him. Wallace is somewhat surprised to learn of his death and refuses to cooperate with anything. When he is given one week until he needs to cross over, Wallace decides to find out what he missed in the life he barely lived. Most of the book takes place in Charon’s Crossing, a tea room operated by Charon (ferryman of the dead), where Wallace must wait until it’s his time. Despite being a book about death/dying, this book is cozy as all get out. I want to be friends with Charon and hang out at this tea shop as much as possible. (The book gave me strong Northern Exposure vibes - quirky and cozy.) If you read and enjoyed The House on the Cerulean Sea (I feel like this might be redundant as who could read and NOT enjoy it?), then you will also really like Under the Whispering Door. Klune managed to capture the same cozy feelings while writing a totally different story. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Reviews of LGBT+ titles that have been featured in past issues
Issue 1
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Issue 2
Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
A Marvelous LIght by Freya Marske
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
Issue 4
The Geek Who Saved Christmas by Annabeth Albert
The Black Flamingo by David Atta
Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
Bidding for the Bachelor by Jackie Lau
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Chef’s Kiss by Jarett Melendez
The Verifiers by Jane Pek
Swollening by Jason Purcell
Tommy Cabot Was Here by Cat Sebastian
Cold by Mariko Tamaki
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu
Featured Authors
Merc Fenn Wolfmoor (RR)- one of my favorite authors! I highly recommend their work if you are looking for LGBT+ SFF & Horror. The range in their works from serious and heartbreaking to lighthearted and hopeful - and sometimes a mix of both - is nothing short of amazing. The worlds and characters they create are always wonderfully interesting, and I have yet to read anything by Wolfmoor that I have not enjoyed. They were previously known under the name A. Merc Rustad - which is the name they published, So You Want to be a Robot?, one of my favorite books of all time, under.
Mira Ong Chua (RR)- an independent cartoonist who creates graphic novels with beautiful art and queer twists on popular tropes. Chua has independently published several comics now, with my favorite being Goodbye, Battle Princess Peony, a magical girl story that made me feel giddy while reading. I highly recommend any MOC comics if you have a chance to check them out!
Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton books have long been one of my go-tos for fun summer reading. I've often had trouble finding books that are suited to that purpose, but don't make me feel stupid while reading them, and while Crichton had his faults, at his best he did that better than just about anybody else. In recent years, though, Crichton has been criticized for more than writing airport bookstore techno-thrillers— and at least some of that criticism is warranted. But I still go back to some of his books, over and over.
First, there are two Crichton books that are basically indefensible: Rising Sun and Disclosure. The former was written in the midst of the mid-1980s panic about Japan’s growing economic power over the U.S., and it makes a number of claims about Japanese culture and business practices that are, at best, dubious, and at worst simply racist. Most of Crichton’s books are at least partly framed as calls to action: pay attention to this thing that is going on, or we’ll all be sorry. That the “danger” to which he’s pointing in Rising Sun is, ultimately, based on stereotypes about the differences in the way that Japanese people and Americans think comes across now as both dated and offensive. That the core of the book is basically a solid police procedural is not sufficient to make up for this. (Though I will say, it’s interesting to compare what people were saying about Japan in the 80s with what a lot of people are saying about China now).
Disclosure is worse, and, alarmingly, rather than a relic of a previous era it seems increasingly to have predicted the direction of certain segments of American culture. Though, again, there’s a well-constructed corporate thriller at the center of the book, that is overlaid with a plot that seems drawn from the worst kind of 8chan message board (with perhaps a dash of letters to Penthouse). This is one they should let go out of print.
The book that more recently drew critical fire, though, is State of Fear, which has been popularly cast as Crichton’s denial of climate change, and this is both true and slightly unfair. First, let me say that, of Crichton’s later books (which did tend to read increasingly like movie treatments), this is actually one of the better ones, in terms of plot, character, and pacing. But, more importantly, it is much less a book about climate change than it is a book about the media (which, it must be said, was a long-time target of Crichton’s scorn). Ultimately, Crichton’s concern in State of Fear isn’t whether greenhouse gas emissions are causing climate change— though he does not believe they are, and he makes that clear— it’s the way that media coverage of this issue, and environmental issues generally, seems designed to make people freak out without actually providing them with much information. This is a valid and important point, and that’s part of what makes this book frustrating. Crichton seems to be arguing that we in the general public shouldn’t rely on regular media coverage to help us understand a complex problem like global climate, and we shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking we’re informed because we read newspaper coverage of such issues. In order to tell a good, clear, compelling story, the media tend to filter out complications and nuance, and when an issue is being presented as a problem that tends to mean that its most disturbing or frightening aspects are foregrounded. So, in the same way that local TV news coverage makes people think that crime rates in their communities are higher than they really are, media coverage of environmental issues gives us the impression that we understand the climate much better than we do— and that the apocalypse is just around the corner. I tend to think that he’s right about that, but the problem is that most of us don’t actually have a lot of choice in the matter. We don’t all have the expertise (and time, and access) to read hundreds of scientific journal articles, so we have to rely on the media to explain and, yes, simplify big issues. That they do a bad job of it in particular cases doesn’t change that, and it would be deeply inconsistent with the perspective he’s putting forward here for Crichton to want us to be persuaded by a novel instead. So, where does that leave us?
At the same time, my frustration here shows what I like about his books— they do actually give you something to think about. All of Crichton’s books have both a point they want to make, and a story they want to tell; in the best ones, those intentions combine seamlessly, so that the story makes the point and the point drives the story. Jurassic Park is a good example: it’s a really compelling and well-told story about dinosaurs, which also dramatizes the power of biotechnology and the dangers of human arrogance regarding our ability to understand and control nature. The movie, perhaps not surprisingly, pushes most of that into the background (or seemingly leaves it on the editing room floor— why don’t we ever learn why the stegosauruses are getting sick?), but in the book they are central. The same is true in The Lost World and Congo, two more of my personal favorites (both of which were adapted very poorly into films). This is precisely what some people don't like about Crichton: they find him preachy or feel like he's giving them a lecture. (I once read a review that referred to him as "America's favorite didact"). For me, though, a book like this that doesn’t vanish from my mind the moment I put it down is exactly what I’m looking for. Years after first reading them, I still find myself chewing on ideas that I encountered first in his books, and I don’t know how many other thriller writers one could say that about.
The Best:
Andromeda Strain
Congo
Eaters of the Dead
Jurassic Park
The Lost World
Dragon Teeth
Pretty good, if you want more:
A Case of Need
Airframe
Prey
Pirate Latitudes
State of Fear (with the above reservations)
If you're looking for more books along the same lines, I'd also strongly recommend John Case (which is actually the pseudonym of a married couple). The best, to my mind, is The Genesis Code, but I enjoyed all but one of them (The Murder Artist, which is dramatically different from any of the others).
What We’re Looking Forward To
The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon (RR)
I haven’t finished this one, but I received a bound manuscript of The Archive Undying - an “epic work of mecha sci-fi” that has an expected publication date of June 2023. So far, I am SUPER enjoying it. Sunai, our main character, is an undying relic of a former age where cities were ruled by divine AIs, on the run from those who would try and use him as an enslaved pilot of his corrupted god AI’s corpse. The world-building is fascinating, the writing is beautiful, and I am endeared to both Sunai and his new boyfriend, Veyadi, as they fall into trouble together and try to figure out the secrets of a lone, undiscovered and miraculously uncorrupted AI.
A Dreadful Splendor by BR Myers (jl)
Genevieve Timmons is a con artist who specializes in fake seances. When she is faced with either going to jail or taking a job from an unknown lawyer, she takes the job - only to find out that he has hired her to bring his employer, Mr. Pemberton, some peace by faking a seance. She is to say that she has heard from his dead bride, who is resting peacefully in the afterlife. Almost immediately, however, Mr. Pemberton recognizes her for what she is. Instead of throwing her out (or sending her back to jail), Pemberton tell Genevieve that he also wants her to fake a seance - to trap a murderer. This one sounds like a fun mystery in a super gothic setting (old English manor house on a cliff over the sea). I’m excited!
The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (jl)
If you haven’t been reading The Inheritance Games series, you have been missing out my friends! This series is a lot like Knives Out for teenagers, but please don’t let the fact that it is a YA book stop you from reading it. You have just enough time to read books one and two before this third entry is released in August. If you enjoy mysteries with lots of family drama, this one’s for you.
Nothing More to Tell by Karen McManus (jl)
Karen McManus is one of the stars of YA mysteries right now and her books never disappoint. (Her first book, One of Us is Lying, has been made into a series on the Peacock streaming platform.) This one involves a cold case and a true crime show - always ingredients for success, if my past reading is any guide.