Well, I’m here now. I was in Chicago for a little over a week and I got back on Sunday. So I missed that post. Then yesterday . . . I went to the beach because it was a million degrees in Massachusetts.
But, I’m back now! Hurrah!
In Libraryland, I’m working on a post for YALSA’s The Hub about happy, light, or at the very least not totally depressing GBLTQ books. This is quite a challenge. I read the Sin-Eater’s Confession over my vacation and really well written and a great book. It’s the story of a high schooler, Ben, in rural Wisconsin who befriends a classmate, Jimmy, while helping out on a dairy farm. Jimmy is an aspiring photographer who takes a sensual, borderline erotic photo of Ben while he’s sleeping. He then uses it without Ben’s knowledge to place 2nd in a national photography contest. Jimmy’s father gets upset when he learns of it and beats Jimmy, eventually taking him out of school. Everyone thinks Jimmy is gay, which is not ok in their town. Ben is embarassed and afraid everyone will think he is gay too, so when he witnesses an apparent kindnapping and brutal murder of Jimmy, he does nothing.
It’s hard to read because you think – or at least I think – you would do something different in that situation. But maybe you wouldn’t; fear is a powerful thing. There’s more to the story and it’s a definite recommendation from me, but was it enjoyable or pleasurable to read? Probably not. It took my much longer than it should have because it was so painful I didn’t want to pick it up.
June is pride month, so The Hub wanted a lot of posts about GLBTQ issues. From talking to some of my teens at the library, I know that some GLBTQ students want books with characters that reflect themselves and speak for them, but they don’t always want those gay characters to die horribly or feel punished for their sexuality. And they don’t always want to hear about characters’ coming out. A lot of teens are out already and they want books about gay people in the same way that there are books about straight people. So I have a list of some funny and uplifting books to read and review.
Look for that at the end of the month and Sunday I’ll post a bit about a craft this week and my summer reading outlook.
Right now, I’m reading The Little Friend by Donna Tartt, the author of The Secret History which you should read, if you haven’t. Plus, Donna Tartt looks like this: Wow.
See you Sunday, folks. (Sorry if you feel objectified, Donna Tartt, I seriously love your writing.)
lcarslibrarian 