Have you read Elliot Page's brilliant new memoir, Pageboy (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)? Jen and Ashley are discussing our thoughts about this powerful book in the November book club episode. We also share our pairings, including George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) and Kacen Callendar’s Felix Ever After (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm).
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Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Adiba Jaigirdar’s The Dos and Donuts of Love (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)
Jen - Claudia Gray’s The Murder of Mr. Wickham (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)
Our Book Club Pick
Elliot Page's Pageboy (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)
Our Pairings
Ashley - George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)
Jen - Kacen Callendar’s Felix Ever After (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)
Mentioned in Episode
Page's National Book Festival Appearance: https://www.loc.gov/events/2023-national-book-festival/schedule/item/webcast-10998/
Unabridged Spotlight
Listen in to hear what Jen and Ashley are spotlighting this month, and let us know your thoughts on social media!
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Bookish Check-in
Ashley was reading...
Adiba Jaigirdar’s The Dos and Donuts of Love (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)
From the Publisher:
"'Welcome to the first ever Junior Irish Baking Show!'
"Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ beloved donut shop.
"Things get complicated, though, because Chris is also a contestant on the show. Then there’s the very outgoing Niamh, a fellow contestant who is becoming fast friends with Shireen. Things are heating up between them, and not just in the kitchen.
"As the competition intensifies , Shireen will have to ignore all these factors and more― including potential sabotage―if she wants a sweet victory!"
Jen was reading...
Claudia Gray’s The Murder of Mr. Wickham
(Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)
From the Publisher:
"A summer house party turns into a whodunit when Mr. Wickham, one of literature’s most notorious villains, meets a sudden and suspicious end in this mystery featuring Jane Austen’s leading literary characters.
"The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.
"Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem almost relaxed. The unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party—before an innocent person is sentenced to hang."
Our Book Club Pick
Elliot Page's Pageboy (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)
From the Publisher:
"Pageboy is a groundbreaking coming-of-age memoir from the Academy Award-nominated actor Elliot Page. A generation-defining actor and one of the most famous trans advocates of our time, Elliot will now be known as an uncommon literary talent, as he shares never-before-heard details and intimate interrogations on gender, love, mental health, relationships, and Hollywood."
Our Pairings
Ashley recommended...
George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue
(Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)
From the Publisher:
"In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson's All Boys Aren't Blue explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia.
"From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.
"Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren't Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson's emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults."
Jen recommended...
Kacen Callendar’s Felix Ever After (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)
From the Publisher:
"Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.
"When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle....
"But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.
"Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve."
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