Books

The Pandora Room by Christopher Golden
Ever since I read Ararat, I’ve been waiting for another Golden novel like it, and the fact that this is kind of a sequel to it with the same main characters made me like it even more.  I read this really quickly.  It just grabs you and doesn’t let go.

The Department of Sensitive Crimes by Alexander McCall Smith
This was a change from The Pandora Room because this one is a little bit slower-paced, but still definitely enjoyable.  There’s a little bit of romance that’s handled in a very adult way (read: mature), but it would’ve done fine without it, imo.

The Strange Case of the Moderate Extremists by Alexander McCall Smith
This is a short story in the same universe as the book above.  It’s a quick read and had the same level of soft humor that made up the book.

Story Genius by Lisa Cron
This is probably the best book on writing I’ve ever read, and I’m extremely picky.  This really takes you through the process of coming up with your main character and their motivation to lead you through your novel blueprint.  I’ve been using it for a novel of mine, and it’s been amazing.

Queer X Design by Andy Campbell
This was a history of queer icons and signs through the years, from the bars, clubs, and magazines of the early 1900s to the signs and posters and zines of the post-Stonewall world all the way up through today.  It was a really good history and laid out well.  The only problem I had was that the text size is ridiculously small and sometimes was on full pages of saturated hues.

Superior:  The Return of Race Science by Angela Saini
Read this, everyone.  If you only read one book I’ve ever recommended, let it be this one.  It will enrage you, baffle you, and motivate you to do some activism wherever you can.  This book is about basically what it says on the tin, the return of race science, which should really be called racist science.  Basically, it’s people trying to show there are biological differences between races, especially in terms of intelligence.

The book is an incredibly easy read and a quick read (I finished it in about two days).  The ideas are presented in a very readable fashion.  It’ll have you incredulous and suspicious of science, but also more capable of recognizing bad science.

Such a Perfect Wife by Kate White
So, this is the next in the Bailey Weggins series, the last of which I read on my way to Vegas last year.  This one, I read in the span of a few hours at home, but it was totally worth doing nothing else.  The murder was twisty in the best way possible, with all the clues needed to solve the mystery there in front of you to find them.

Comics

Batman & Robin Vol. 1-3 by Grant Morrison
So, I finally read Dick’s run as Batman with Damian as research for a fanfic I wrote recently.  Grant Morrison still has the worst mommy issues I’ve ever seen among writers and clearly loves nothing more than making Damian his little self-insert, but Damian is still a good boy and I love him.