Rest of November books

I found another Agatha Christie novel I'd missed the first time around at the thrift store (or maybe it had just been donated) and bought it, also for fifty cents. Cat Among Pigeons is another Hercule Poirot novel. The synopsis and blurbs on the book cover don't mention this at all, so it was a delightful surprise when he showed up like 3/4 of the way through the book. The book starts off with an Arab prince and his English pilot friend trying to hide some jewels during a revolution in the Middle East, than changes to an exclusive girls' academy in England where murders keep happening. At first the two stories seem very different, then you see how they connect. I figured out where the jewels were hidden like 1/3 of the way through the book, if that. It was pretty obvious. The first teacher who got murdered was totally a lesbian, and she was written to be really nosy and annoying with poor social skills (also she was the gym teacher lmao). There was also a subplot with the prince's cousin, who also went to the academy. I enjoyed this one, although the ending made me a bit sad. 3.5 stars, giving away. Trigger warnings: murder, guns, racism, alcoholic minor character, adult male character flirts with teenage girls (for spy reasons, but still)

I picked up The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck at Savers because it sounded interesting (synopsis here). You know I'm all about stories set in or about libraries, and the story society sounded intriguing. It was to my chagrin that I quickly realized the Fifth Avenue library in New York City barely figured into the story at all, and that this book turned out to be a Christian novel. 

Five people are sent an invitation to the Fifth Avenue Story Society but don't know why. They decide to meet every week to find out who sent the invitations and why and become friends. Since this is a Christian novel, things end in romance and God-finding. While I found the Christian stuff to be heavy-handed, I found the emotions and problems faced by the members interesting and handled well. The characters endure true grief and pain, and while they didn't feel real to me, I was interested in their stories and wanted to know what happened to them. My favorite (aka least sad) storyline was Coral's; her cosmetics company was going under, and it was resolved in a very satisfying way. True to form, I also liked Jett's author storyline: his favorite author might be a fraud, and he finds an unpublished manuscript in the Fifth Avenue library that contains the truth. The characters' secrets, ranked from most obvious to least obvious: why Coral left her fiancé, why Jett felt guilty about his brother's death, why Chuck lost custody of his kids, Lexa's relationship and connection issues, and Sam's short marriage to his wife. Of all of them, I never suspected anything about Sam's story. I did think he was so insistent on writing his memoir because he had Alzheimer's. There is a stereotypical mysterious librarian who is probably the one who invited them all to the Society; the secret of how and why is not revealed, and it's hinted that the librarian is an angel. Very annoying. Anyway, I enjoyed this well enough, even though all the non-elderly characters are gorgeous and attractive (do not even get me started on the "Nebraska boy"). 3 stars, giving away. Trigger warnings: deaths, violence mentions, gun mention, child endangerment mention, prison, parental abandonment, grief, anger, drug addiction/abuse and alcoholism mentions

How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen was sourced from the same thrift store as CAtP. It's a short, slim little volume of collected essays on the author's life as a reader, her thoughts on reading, and her favorite books (including lists of book recommendations from her and her friends). I read and liked Quindlen's columns in the newspaper when I was younger and remember her to be a relatable, open, and intelligent writer. If you're a book person, you're probably familiar with this famous quote from this book: "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home." Don't you just love that? I very much enjoyed this book, although the books she mentions and lists as recommendations are very white and straight. I highly recommend reading this book if you're a book lover. 4.5 stars because I wish it were longer! I'm keeping this one. Trigger warnings: mentions of sex, virginity, birth control, probably trigger-y stuff from books' plots mentioned

Book review: The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason

The first book I read in November was The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. It's a bibliomystery and is about two friends at Princeton trying to figure out the codes and secrets held in a mysterious Renaissance book, the Hypnerotomachia Poliphilli (which is real!). Murders start happening, and they start searching for clues for those too. They have to find all the answers before their dissertation is stolen or they're kicked out of Princeton. Read the official synopsis here.

The authors are two best friends who also both went to Princeton, so the setting felt real and lived in. The characters felt a bit stiff and formal, more like adults in their late twenties and early thirties than college students, but I was invested in them and their friendships. This may be because the book is set in 1999, but I don't think that would make the characters more mature. I liked the friendships between the four young men. I liked how Tom and Paul's friends helped with the riddles and clues; their med student friend helped with the medicine stuff, and Tom's girlfriend helped with riddles that had to do with her own major. The plot with the Tom and his girlfriend Katie was interesting enough, and she did feel mostly like a fleshed-out character, but I would have rather spent more time with the book. 

The HP incunabulum and its history was my favorite part, of course; there were so many things that I learned about in rare books classes (Aldus Manutius!) and things about Italian renaissance history, science and art (Florence! the Bonfire of the Vanities!).  The cryptology stuff was fascinating, with hidden messages encoded in the text which contained riddles, with the numerical code to the next riddle contained in each answer. The rule of four refers to the last numeric code needed to detect the book's hidden messages. One riddle had to do with who gave Moses his horns, which Paul did not get immediately. I call bull on this; everyone who tangentially knows anything about renaissance art and the Bible knows that Moses has horns in Michelangelo's statue of him because of a mistranslation (rays and horns being the same word). Paul, who knows Italian and Latin and basically everything there is to know about Renaissance Italy and its art, history, you name it, would have picked up on this right away. Paul says in the book that Michelangelo (or Jerome?) depicted Moses with horns because he felt only God should have glory radiating from His face, but I don't think that's true. 

The Hypnerotomachia Poliphilli wove its way through Tom and Paul's lives and the lives of Tom's father and his friends, who became Paul's advisors and mentors. The HP was a source of life-long obsession to these men, and it impacted their relationships with their partners and each other. Tom's father being obsessed with the HP damaged his relationship with his wife and son, while Tom's obsession with the HP strained his relationship with his girlfriend. Tom's father and his friends echoed Tom and his friends. This book deals with loss, obsession, academia, friendship, depression, relationships, and more. It was very sad but very fascinating. I loved the HP parts but I don't think I'll reread or keep this one. It stayed with me for a while. 

Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Read in: November 2-3
From: the thrift store?
Format: paperback
Status: giving away

Trigger warnings for this book: murder, death (various methods, some of them violent), car crash, blood, semi-graphic major injury, other injuries requiring hospital stays, alcohol overuse, obsession, depression, sex, mentioned nudity, sexism/misogyny, privileged Princeton pigs

Rest of October books

The first book I read in October was The Far Side Gallery 3, which features a cow posing as Mona Lisa (Moona Lisa) on the cover. I got it from the thrift store. I enjoyed this one, and even though I'm pretty sure I've seen all the comics therein, did not remember all of them. The reason I keep saying that for every The Far Side book is because my high school library had the Complete Far Side, which was in two? enormous, heavy volumes. I think I've read all the The Far Side comics, Gary Larson's new stuff notwithstanding (he's recently gotten into digital drawing and started making art again. I have his 2021 calendar.). 4 stars, keeping. Trigger warnings: body horror, characters are eaten, bugs, torture? weird sci fi stuff. all pretty mild

After my Agatha Christie mysteries, I read A Miracle in Seville by James A. Michener. I bought it (all together now!) at the thrift store. This book is set somewhere in the 1950s to '60s range, although the writing style and the lovely old-fashioned illustrations made it feel older. It takes place in Spain during Holy Week (Easter), and the American sports journalist narrator follows around an older Spanish man who is the head of one of the old bull breeding families that supply bulls for bullfights. He has lost his family and status among bull-raising families, and he attempts to raise his family's name by supplicating the Virgin Mary. The three best bullfighters and their bullfighting techniques during the many bullfights during the week are described. I don't know much of anything about bullfighting, but it sounds as though Michener did his research and writes about bullfighting knowledgeably and beautifully. Part of the reason the story time feels older is due to how the Spanish festivals and bullfights and characters are written about. There is a haughty beautiful g*psy fortune teller in swinging skirts who could have stepped out of the pages of a 19th century novel. All the Romani characters in this book are stereotypes and villains. (Read more on why g*psy is a slur here). The writing is very good, though, and the etching/woodcut-like illustrations are gorgeous. The book, while pertaining to be a journalist's notes, reads like a fairy tale from the 19th century, kind of like a Hugo or Dostoevsky novel without the excess verbiage. If it weren't for the stereotypical Romani characters, and the odd/sad ending, I would have liked this book a lot more than I did. 3.5 stars, gave away this book to my dad who is proud of his Spanish heritage despite them being colonizers. Trigger warnings: anti-Romani racism and stereotyping, animal murder and cruelty, human death, maiming mentions, religious self harm

I read Little Black Bird by Anna Kirchner for Ace Week, which was the last week of October. I followed the author on Instagram well before I learned she wrote a book, and immediately put her book on my to read list because it has asexual representation and I like to support my "friends". I was delighted to buy this book from another bookstagrammer. Read the synopsis here. This book takes place in Poland (Anna is Polish) and is written in English (Anna is fluent). I liked that there's a pronunciation guide and short description of words non-Polish readers may not know in the front of the book. However, the writing feels a bit clunky? Disjointed? This may be due to the translating from mental Polish to written English. The characters don't quite feel lived in; it feels like we're told stuff about them. The exception is Wiktoria, whose POV we view the story from. Her anguish about her telekinesis and not being able to fit in is heartbreaking. Her own family treated her like a problem, and it turns out her origins are a mystery. I cared about her and rooted for her. The love interest is a slightly older boy who is bonded to her and there's insta-love and possible attraction. He has color-changing eyes, natch. The romance or whatever (both Wiktoria and the dude are ace questioning) felt very typical, YA fantasy/paranormal novel soulmates, only with less possessiveness and boundary-breaking, thankfully. I think I'm too old for YA novels, you guys; the romances make me roll my eyes instead of swoon. The magic and its usage/rules were very interesting, and the demons and mythological spirits/creatures were scary. I am not very familiar with Slavic mythology (I only know like 3 Slavic fairytales) and it was interesting to read a fantasy book using mythology I'm not familiar with. I was angry on Wiktoria's behalf about how the sorcerers treated her; the obvious thing to do would be to Harry Potter it and tell her she's important and special and to invite her to join the secret sorcerer society, etc. and gain her trust and have her be an ally. Instead they treated her like a criminal. The ace rep is pretty good, with tumblr and AVEN mentioned in the story as sources on ace info. Anyway, fascinating story, things are getting interesting, then BOOM! Cliffhanger. Seriously, there's no real resolution and the book literally ends with "to be continued...". I guess the next book will finish the story, but I don't wanna wait! Ugh. 3.5 stars, keeping. I'm going to have to reread it before I read the sequel. Trigger warnings: torture (both magical and not), stalking, magical mind & body control, demon possession, grudgingly attempted sex due to character feeling owed (consent issues), imprisonment, supernatural scaryness, a character is recovering from an eating disorder

Times it is appropriate to decorate/advertise for holidays

 New Year's Eve/Day

The day of New Year's Eve, if desired. Stores may begin advertising their New Year's Eve decorations on December 20.

Valentine's Day

February 1. The holiday occurs in the middle of the month; that is enough time.

St. Patrick's Day

March 1. Ditto.

Easter

March 18. This one is tricky because Easter floats around on the calendar, so to speak. 

Cinco de Mayo

I actually do not want anyone who isn't Mexican to celebrate this day. It is a thinly-veiled excuse to get hammered and act racist. Celebrating by listening to Mexican music and/or dining at local Mexican-owned restaurants is fine for everyone. Do not celebrate, decorate, or advertise by committing cultural appropriation. Advertising may begin on April 20, but NO ALCOHOL ADVERTISING. Not even Mexican alcohol.

Mother's Day 

May 1, although I don't think anyone actually decorates for this (unless you are having a mother's day party, in which case, the day before or day of is fine). Advertising: April 20. 

Father's Day

May 20 (advertising). No one really decorates for Father's Day. 

Independence Day (Fourth of July) 

Decorating: the last week of June. Advertising: the day after Father's Day.

Halloween

Both decorating and advertising can begin no earlier than October 1. The holiday is at the end of the month; there is no need to decorate or advertise for Halloween in September. Generic fall decorations may be used from September 1 through November 30; explicitly Halloween/spooky-themed decorations must be taken down the first week of November (thanks to Día de los Muertos). A loophole exists thanks to The Nightmare Before Christmas movie; decorate your house with decorations from or inspired by the movie, and it can do double duty for Halloween and Christmas. I don't really like or approve of this, however.

Thanksgiving

Decorating: November 1 for explicitly Thanksgiving-themed decorations (generic fall decorations may be used from September 1 through November 30). Advertising: November 1.

Christmas

Decorating: the day AFTER Thanksgiving is fine, for your personal home. December 1 is preferred. November 1 is NOT acceptable; let fall and Thanksgiving have its due. I wish people would stop acting like people who hold fast to the no-Xmas-decorating-until-after-Thanksgiving rule are joyless fun-suckers; we are merely temperate, principled people who know the value of keeping holidays in their rightful place. Advertising: I don't want to see a single fucking Xmas tree/Santa/present/reindeer/snowperson or hear a single bleeding carol until December 1. I don't give a shit about Black Friday or your bottom line. Everybody knows when Christmas is and when and how to buy Christmas decorations and presents. Advertising interference is not needed. Every year a local radio station starts playing Christmas carols earlier and earlier; last year I emitted a howl of rage when I turned on the radio station on November 15 (NOVEMBER FIFTEEN!!!) to hear fucking Jingle Bells. The madness needs to stop. 

"The Day After Thanksgiving" by Brandon Heath

Christmas decorations can stay up until January 6, Ephiphany/Three Kings' Day.

It's cozy mysteries season, m***********s

 (Not actually cursing at you; title is a reference to this iconic McSweeney's post)

I stayed the weekend at my parents' a few weeks ago (or maybe last month?) and I went to the thrift store in my hometown. You guys, the books were all 50 cents each and the DVDs were all $1 each!!! This puts my local Savers to shame. $2-5 a book or DVD? Ok, filthy capitalist.

Anyway, I bought a stack of old Agatha Christie paperbacks, which I wouldn't have done at Savers due to their prices. 50 cents a book!!! I read them all over the first half of this month. I highly recommend Agatha Christie novels if you are in a reading slump because they are exciting (murder! mystery!) yet comforting (like a lot of people, I grew up reading a lot of books by and about white people in the 1900s, plus you know the detective will solve the mystery), plus they're pretty short! These are the books I bought and read: 

• N or M
  
• Thirteen at Dinner
  
• Murder in Mesopotamia
  
• Sad Cypress
  
• The Clocks

They are all Hercule Poirot mysteries, with the exception of N or M, which is a Tommy & Tuppence mystery (never heard of this series). Tommy and Tuppence are a married middle-aged (read: 40s) couple that were spies in WWI (previous books?) and are bummed no one wants them to help during WWII because they're too old, until Tommy gets a spy assignment and Tuppence, refusing to be left out, joins (she's such a BAMF). They have to find a Nazi spy who may have infiltrated a sleepy English seaside town, and their only clue is N or M. They pretend to be strangers at the same weird inn to find the spy, and the novel is suspenseful throughout. I enjoyed this one, and I'm open to reading other T&T novels. 

The Hercule Poirot mysteries are mostly narrated by someone else who is helping him; usually his Watsonian friend whose name I don't remember (Thirteen at Dinner), or a nurse roped into helping him solve a murder (Murder in Mesopotamia), or another detective/spy friend who splits the POV/narration with his police sergeant friend (The Clocks). Sad Cypress was unique in that it just had omniscient third person narration. I was most intrigued by MiM due to its setting, as I've been to places of archeological interest in the Middle East before. 13aD was perhaps the most classic Hercule Poirot novel, while The Clocks was kind of the most different. It is set in the 1960s, for one thing, which I couldn't tell because Agatha's writing style stayed the same, so it felt the same as the 1930s. What tipped me off were a few era mentions, plus Hercule is old in this one. He doesn't even come into the novel until a third of the way through the book at the absolute earliest. Sad Cypress was kind of the saddest, and we miss out on the classic HP end monologue. 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading these books, and while I guessed parts of some of the mysteries, I never guessed the whole thing or the right person. These really made my reference desk shifts go by much more quickly, and I recommend them. I will be giving these away, though.

• N or M - 4 stars
• Thirteen at Dinner - 4 stars
• Murder in Mesopotamia - 4 stars
• Sad Cypress - 3.5 stars
• The Clocks - 3.5 stars

Trigger warnings: murder, gore, blood, dead bodies, guns, Nazis, poison, sexism, probably more stuff

September books

 I actually read more than 2 or 3 books in September! Love that journey for me.

Immediately after Remember Me?, I read She's Come Undone, which was a mistake. It's just so horribly sad and depressing in a way that is in no way hinted at in the rather quirky summary. Wally Lamb is a good writer, and I cared about Dolores and wanted her to be happy, but yikes. Dolores is aptly named; the author points this out quite obviously in a patting-himself-on-the-back-for-being-so-clever way, and puts her through all sorts of sad situations. There is sort of a happy ending, at least, and Dolores finds the love she so craves. I did find the 1950s-70s upbringing interesting. Massive, massive trigger warnings for rape of a child, grooming by a predator, domestic violence, mental illness and institutionalization, fatphobia, nonconsensual sexual situations, semi-manipulated abortion, death, sex, homophobia, predatory lesbian trope, AIDS, stalking, religious abuse, alcohol and drug mentions/usage, binge eating and eating disorders, stillbirth, racism from an elderly character, infidelity. There's probably more but that's all I can think of. I left it behind in Mexico with a note telling my family not to read it (there's no way my Christian parents can handle that kind of story). Cover notes: I actually picked this up due to the interesting cover and title. It's actually the title of a 1970s song. 3 stars (4 stars for writing + 2 stars for story). 

Immediately after flying back from Mexico, I flew to New York to visit my sister and her family (I have a nephew now and he's the cutest baby in the world). We mostly hung out and went to restaurants and

bookstores. I bought Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman from Westsiders Rare & Used Books (such a fun bookstore). This feminist utopia is a reread for me, and I love it. Read my previous review here, and my mini essay comparing it to The Left Hand of Darkness here. It's so interesting how she points out that a lot of what we consider gender or how women naturally are is a result of the patriarchy and its gender roles (this was written in 1915!). However, I noticed this time how eugenics-y the book is: the Herland women are all white, despite being in a hidden part of South America or something, and they've deliberately bred themselves to be strong and tall and good at stuff and resist disease and smart, etc. I didn't really realize it until I read a quote from CPG that said that white men and women need to come together to improve the lower races, or something. All the great 19th and 20th century white feminists were all racist as hell, unfortunately. Anyway, I do like this book, but be aware of the racism and eugenics-y ways of thinking. It's critical of capitalism, the patriarchy, and Christianity (but rightfully so, imo). Loved the misandry though. 4 stars, keeping. 

Another reread this month was James Finn Garner's Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. These are fun PC satires of classic fairy tales, and it's funny to read how the tales were transformed. For instance, Red Robin Hood and the wolf chop up the woodcutter for being so sexist and speciest as to think RRH needed his help with the wolf. Per usual, one isn't sure whether Garner is poking fun at capitalism etc. or PC culture itself. I reread this one because I'm giving the series away. Trigger warnings for fairytale-typical violence, I guess? 3.5 stars, giving away. 

My last read for September was The Chickens Are Restless, a The Far Side comics compilation. I love Gary Larson's The Far Side so much. I got this from the thrift store, and I'm pretty sure I'd already seen all of these (although there were some comics I didn't remember seeing before). These are classics for a reason. I wonder, if I were to walk past all the faculty office doors at my school, how many would have a TFS comic taped to it. Probably a lot, in the sciences. 4 stars, keeping.

August books

 I bought and read Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, which I think are the first two books in the series. I used to own the complete set, and I have no idea what happened to them. Did I give them away? I hope not. I got these from the thrift store. Anyway, both were fun to read, although they were way less about Mrs. PW and her cool upside-down house than I remembered, and more about the ineffectual WASP parents tearing their hair out over their undisciplined little brats' behaviors. Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, in particular, consists mostly of mothers phoning each other near tears about their darling angels' troublesome new habits, and being told to call Mrs. PW.  The books are less about the children, as I had seen it when I first read them as a child myself, and more about their despondent parents. In Hello, Mrs. PW, she is basically just a voice over the telephone; we don't ever see her. I was saddened during my rereads to find that Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is not a friend and ally to the children; she is there for and on the side of the parents. 

I thought the kids were malcriados (meaning both brats and badly raised) even as a child, and even though I no longer think spanking is morally correct, there's got to be something from latine parents' bag of tricks that could fix those problems without resorting to magical medicine.  This article is worth reading, and has some interesting points, although I don't think Mrs. PW did what she did for control; many of the bad habits the children had were genuinely annoying or troublesome, and did need to be fixed. The article author acts like bullying or constant crying are fun creative things that should not be stamped out in children. I mean come on. 

Side note: I saw they made a spinoff of the Mrs. PW books: the new series features Mrs. PW's niece Missy Piggle-Wiggle (sigh) who apparently does the same thing. Anyway, I did enjoy rereading these books, and I hope I find the other two in the thrift store or my parents' house. 4/5 and 3.5/5, keeping for now. 

Trigger warnings for these books: spanking mentions, minor physical abuse including swatting, pinching, and kicking; physical and social bullying, verbal abuse, body horror (kid level), manipulation, bad parenting, magical pharmaceuticals doled out without a license or medical degree (probably)

The other book I read in August was another thrift store find, Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. I brought it to read in Mexico, and finished it in two days. You can read the summary here. I read about it in a book enewsletter and thought the premise intriguing. This book was published in 2008 and it shows, what with the fashion and celebrity mentions (amnesiac Lexi is devastated to find out that Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt split up). It's also very Bridget Jones-esque, with the fashion brands and celeb dropping and stupid decisions (how did this bitch not catch on the second+ time that people were exploiting her amnesia?). However, the amnesia premise was interesting to me, and Kinsella is a good enough writer that I was engrossed with the book regardless. I was somewhat let down by the answer and the ending. Spoiler: Lexi ends up with the guy she was cheating on her husband with, and we're supposed to root for that? She ends up coming out on top of a business deal where she failed to save her department, allowing them all to get fired? Her motivations for becoming a total business bitch were just that her dad passed on his debts to her family and someone made fun of her teeth? She doesn't even really get her memory back? I'm not mad I bought and read this book, although I won't be keeping it. I actually left it behind in Mexico on purpose. 3.5/4 stars, gave away. 

 

Trigger warnings for this book: many mentions of dieting and exercising for weight loss, spit in food mention, sex mentions, car crash mentions, infidelity, corporate backstabbing and greed, neglectful parents, teenage delinquency, amnesia, classism, lookism (character is mocked for her crooked teeth)

July books

Ugh I am so behind on these. Anyway:

I picked up The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen (pickle heiress?) from my library's used book sale. It's a historical fiction, Christian Regency romance mystery. I was on the fence about it, since I don't really like Christian romance novels (they tend to be cheesy), but I do like Regency-era historical fiction and mysteries, so. You can read the book summary here. I actually enjoyed this book to the point of staying up late to finish it. I'm always rooting for a spinster heroine (solidarity), plus I love a good Gothic mystery. The mystery in this book is very solid (although not as Gothic as it initially seems), and it kept me guessing. The historical accuracy (as far as I can tell) was decent, with the situations/actions only being a little too modern or improper. The heroine loves Jane Austen novels and reads or thinks about them throughout the book. Come to think of it, this novel is a bit Persuasion-ish, what with the ignored plain oldest daughter being left to take care of an estate by herself by her vain, neglectful family. The romance was fine. I don't think a rector/curate/whatever would be that flirty back then; he was practically rake-ish. There is a Mr. Darcy-esque scene where the heroine comes across him swimming shirtless, ooh-la-la. Christian romance novels are so funny to me because they have the same sort of sexual tension/almost kissing/noticing their hot physique scenes, but immediately after they happen, the protagonist(s) is like "help me, God!" because you're not supposed to lust. It's hilarious. I'd recommend this book, but only if you're ok with Christian morals or themes. 3.5/5 stars, giving away. 

Trigger warnings for this book: murder with firearms, a character is burned via arson, mentions of a large aggressive dog(s), suspense, slight Gothic horror (that turns out to be something else)

I was so excited to get my hands on Unclobbered: Rethinking Our Misuse of the Bible on Homosexuality by Colby Martin (summary), as it deals with the "clobber verses" in the Bible that seem to condemn homosexuality and are the reason so many Christians are homophobic today. Each clobber verse is addressed in a chapter, while alternating chapters detail Colby's growth as a Christian and what happened after he started believing that it isn't a sin to be gay. The clobber verse chapters are well-researched, with Colby discussing the historical and religious context of the verses and digging into ancient Hebrew & Greek terms. The citations are in endnotes; I would have preferred footnotes, but I'll take it. However, there were a couple of verses where the end result of all that research wasn't clear. This is probably because the verses aren't that clear themselves, but it was still kind of disappointing to me since I wanted to hear "this verse is not about/does not condemn gay s3x". The other chapters were interesting, but Colby spends more than half the book talking about himself (and the gay and affirming Christians he talked to along the journey). I'm glad he's on the correct side, and I get why it was such a blow to be fired from his pastoral job when he had a big family to support, but that pales in comparison to all the queer and trans people that have been shunned or murdered or killed themselves because of what Christians believed those clobber verses said. People have been hurt by these misunderstood, mistranslated, misapplied verses, and Colby's out here whining about getting fired from a homophobic church? I found the whole "coming out of the theological closet" thing eyeroll-worthy. Christian allies' pro-gay books need to stop making it about themselves and their journeys and how great they are for being accepting. Just like with My Son, Beloved Stranger, this is a book for straight people. 3.5/5 stars, keeping for now. 

Trigger warnings for this book: homophobia, probably transphobia as well, rape and gang rape mentions (from Bible stories), cishet centering, religious abuse, gay s3x mentions (from Bible passages), Christianity