Book review: Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

Spoilers, kinda

I read Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann in June for Pride month, although of course I bought it months ago. Official book summary: 

Alice had her whole summer planned. Non-stop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting--working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she's asexual). Alice is done with dating--no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done. 

But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!). 

When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn, and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood.

I was excited to read this book about a biromantic ace girl of color who worked in a library (so me!). Alice is super into Tumblr and pop culture, to boot. I did enjoy reading this book, but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. I did feel somewhat seen, but since the protagonist was a 19 year old college student who swooned and interior-monologued like a fanfiction character written by a teenage girl who read exclusively 2000s chicklit and 2010s tumblr posts, I felt more distracted and annoyed by the verbiage (it makes Meg Cabot books look like scholarly texts). All that stuff kept pulling me out if the story. It is so very internal. Also, there were not nearly enough scenes set in the library. Literally just like three.

It bugs me that the summary says Alice's ex-girlfriend broke up with her because Alice is asexual, because she actually dumped her because she felt Alice wasn't attracted to her and didn't truly love her since she didn't enjoy sex with her. Alice couldn't bring herself to tell her she's asexual. Some GoodReads reviewers said that the ex's high sex drive and need for a fulfilling sexual relationship was written about in a slut-shamey way, but I didn't pick up on that. I do agree a lot of the issue would have been resolved if Alice and her ex had sat down and talked about their views of sex and how un/important it was to them. That's what you do as adults. Anyway, that part of the book is at the beginning and fairly short. The book does tackle misconceptions about asexuality. Said GR reviewers also pointed out how weirdly Alice's attitude/experience towards arousal and sex was written about, to the point of being incorrect. I did not notice that initially, but I think they are right.

Alice's friend drama was of the annoying if-they-just-talked-to-each-other-it-wouldn't-be-a-big-deal variety, which was dumb. I felt her best friend Feenie was too harsh and unkind towards Alice and was much more in the wrong than she was. It also annoyed me how controlling Alice's parents and significantly older siblings were and how they were dead-set on her becoming a lawyer when she wasn't interested in it at all. I hate stories like that. Being the baby of her much older family explains Alice's naivete and immaturity, however. They and Alice's friends were always trying to make Alice's decisions for her. It makes sense in that context.

The love interest part was fine. Takumi was adequately swoon-worthy and their relationship was cute. I got kind of annoyed with how much Alice got all deer-in-the-headlights around him and clammed up or ran away, but to be fair I did the same stuff around that age whenever I encountered my crushes. Due to the way Alice's and Takumi's relationship was written (aka through Alice's romcom crushy lens), I was confused when Alice said she wanted to date Takumi instead of just being friends; their relationship felt quite romantic to me, so I thought they were already sort of together. I certainly have never taken care of a male friend when he was sick, or cuddled with him under blankets while watching a movie, nor have they ever cooked for me. I'm not sure how sustainable their relationship is, since it's based on Takumi continuing to be fine with no sex, but whatever. I know there are asexual/allosexual couples that have made it work. I found the cutie code silly to the point of being annoying.

Overall, while I found the writing annoying and the characterization somewhat lacking, I am glad I bought and read it. I do wish I had this book when I was 19. This is an #OwnVoices book (the author is also Black, although I don't know if she's ace), and I liked the way race and microaggressions were talked about. 4 out of 5 stars, because I liked it a lot more right after I finished reading it, haha

Cover notes: I like that the colors are supposed to be of the asexual flag, although there is not enough gray. I would have made the model's top gray, or made the background gray and kept the top white. I like the font and purple color of the title. What are those bangs, though?

Score: 4 out of 5 stars
Read in: June 28
From: Target
Format: paperback
Status: keeping

Trigger warnings for this book: sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault, acephobia, aphobia, controlling parents/family members, a character takes a picture of another character while they're sleeping without their consent, racism mentions, discussions of sex, lust and arousal. That's all I can think of

Pet peeves at work

I wrote this ages ago, well before the pandemic. I haven't worked in person in a regular way at the library for well over a year. We're supposed to start working in-person again in September, which I'm both looking forward to and dreading. Anyway, enjoy.

• when I'm sitting at the reference desk and someone asks for another librarian 
• what am I, chopped liver?!?
• when no one takes me seriously, including students, because I look like a student
• when someone I've been helping with research in the archives asks another librarian for help
• and they totally know I could help them so it's clear they don't want me
• and my colleague doesn't know I've helped them previously so *she* dives into the archives to look for stuff that I totally could've looked for and found 
• and that's very nice of her but it feels like she's doing my job for me, plus I feel guilty since she's already so busy
• and I'm mad at the scholar for going over my head
• especially since it's something they never even asked me for help with!!!
• when people expect me to have an encyclopedic knowledge of eeeeeeeverything in the library. like lol yeah right
• but it bugs me because I also kind of feel like I should know everything we have
• when instructors ask us to do a library visit/instruction session with their class the week of, or, God forbid, the day before their class meets, especially during the busy season
• like yes, we were just totally sitting around twiddling our thumbs waiting for you, this won't inconvenience us at all
• when people dump their crap donate items to us that we totally already have 1000 copies of, but by all means, give us your old junk
• when people assume they can just waltz into the special collections and riffle through our archival holdings themselves. Oh did you go to library school? No? Then you can't. 
• relatedly: when patrons want to access something in the archives and the other librarians just... let them into the off-limits-to-patrons room without even checking with me!!!
• when people LICK THEIR FINGERS to turn pages, especially of archival items!!! *shudder*
• when people bring food and drinks into the special collections reading room even though I specifically told them not to. You're not special and our rules do apply to you.
• gods just remembering that time a girl put a FRESH PEELED COCONUT on an ARCHIVAL BOX and it left a WET STAIN on it still gives me rage of the librarian variety. I'm having angina just thinking about it
• when I have to be at work for something first thing in the morning right after I've worked a night shift
• when people studying in the library don't throw away their trash or clean up crumbs, etc. ESTE NO ES UN HOTEL!
• when people studying in the library don't turn off the lamps they've been using when they leave and then I have to because no one else cares
• when someone comes to talk to me at the reference desk but they stand at the side of the desk instead of coming to the front of the desk in front of me like a normal person, even though there's no one there. like wtf???
• when my coworkers send out passive aggressive emails that are totally aimed at me
• when people are suuuuper slow to leave at closing time. Like I've already rung the buzzer and flicked the lights on and off and told you personally that we're closing. This isn't a store or restaurant where they close the doors but let you hang out for longer, just LEAVE already. 
• shoutout to the patron who kept trying to have a conversation with me ten minutes after closing time in the face of my repeatedly telling her we were closed and she had to leave 
• 
• also shoutout to the patron, who when I straight up told him we were closing and he needed to leave, asked me if he could have a couple minutes more. *John Mulaney voice and face* NO!
• when people ask me "are you busy?" at the reference desk. Yes, I am busy, I have specifically chosen to work here on this very public desk in the library labeled "REFERENCE DESK" where other librarians have helped you before/which is where your instructor told you to go get research help on my own personal project, it's not like the main/most important thing in the library is helping patrons or anything, I'm definitely going to turn you away
• like honestly I'm just social media-ing in the times between helping people 
• forreal dude just roll up and ask me your question
• when I see a student hovering near the desk while I'm already helping someone and I say "do you have a quick question?" and the student says "yes, I need help with [finding sources for their paper, something that is going to take at least fifteen minutes and for which they are definitely going to have to wait for me to be finished with the student I'm currently helping, obviously, don't play]"
• when a student asks me if we have a certain book. I realize this is very standard in libraries, but these are Gen Z students who absolutely know how to use the internet, there is no way they don't know about the library catalog because we make all freshmen do a library scavenger hunt and/or we've personally demonstrated how to look up books and articles in their classes, just go to the library website and click on Library Catalog, my dude
• I don't typically mind this but it's annoying when I'm helping someone else with a real research question
• when students walk allll the way from the back of the room where the printers are to the reference desk at the front of the room to ask for help with some tech problem when they could have just asked the computer lab worker, who is situated at the middle of the room in an obvious separate desk, for help
• when I catch students getting physical in the study rooms. Gross. Like hello, these are STUDY rooms, do not "get a room" here. ESTE NO ES UN HOTEL! 
• the same goes for couples getting cozy on our giant bean bag. Like do you want to have to tell the admin assistant you got body fluids on the bean bag? Because I'm not going to be the one to do that, lovebirds.
• when students are loud
• when the printers don't work
• when the student workers get too comfortable and treat their shifts like a social hour or study time only. You're here to work, so even if there's not a whole lot for you to do, look around and see if anyone at the printers looks like they need help, computer worker
• when people (especially student workers, who should know better) listen to music or videos without headphones, or when they have the headphones but the audio is WAY TOO LOUD and the sound is still very audible
• when the wifi doesn't work, which is MOST OF THE TIME!!! This is a UNIVERSITY and a UNIVERSITY LIBRARY besides!! Students come here to study!! Like WTF!!!
• when I contact IT about this and they're like hurr durr we can't do anything
• when it's too cold or hot
• and we don't even have control over the temperature in our own library!!! Freaking physical plant department does, and of course they can't be arsed
• when people ask me for stuff with a very "you're The Help and I'm your boss" kind of energy
• you know, like this is The Devil Wears Prada and they're Meryl Streep and I'm Anne Hathaway. Just like spiritually/mentally flinging their designer coat into my face
• Like obviously I'm going to help you! That is my job! I just don't like them putting on classist airs about it
• obviously all of the typical librarian and archivist pet peeves apply too 
• when people ask me for things they've already asked me for, especially if it's something I had to work to get, such as a thesis from an obscure part of the archives area. Like did you not read the email I sent you? We've been over this? Hello?
• when people come talk to me for no reason (depends on my mood). If it's not information based, I don't know how to handle conversations, and you're wasting my time and the time of anyone waiting for me to be available for questions.
• I'm especially thinking of white baby boomer men. White baby boomer men are soooo annoying because they think they are so charming and funny, and they usually aren't. I hate the stupid jokes they make. I'm a huge target for them at that front-facing desk, as any young woman in the service industries knows.
• when someone incredibly technologically ignorant is trying to do something at the computers and keeps asking me questions about the simplest things. I know it's not their fault but it's still annoying to me. Like ma'am, you should know how to how to use email if you're in college/applying for a job. I especially dislike when they ask me for help every 30-60 seconds and make me get up from my desk every time instead of just admitting they're going to need my help for every single step of the way and can I please sit with them and help them. Like let's be real here.