Hi friends! 👋🏻 It’s the last day of Pride Month and I am finally throwing out my only contribution. I did have a lot of posts planned but things have been very hectic on my end since I went on holiday at the beginning of the month and then came back to a lot of Summer Reading Challenge preparation at work to do. Truly, I am the busiest bee of them all.
But anyway, today I am doing the Pride Flag Book Tag, and that rhymes which means that it’s a very good tag! This tag was created by Common Spence on YouTube, and I included the extra question from May @ Forever and Everly!
1. red (life) - a book with a spirited protagonist totally proud of who they are. someone who gives you LIFE!
The thing that I love about Felix is that even though he’s proud of his identity as a gay trans boy, he’s still figuring out who he is in the world, and showing the people who doubt him who he really is. His journey isn’t necessarily an easy one, even while being out, but his outlook on his life and his identity is so refreshing to see.
2. orange (healing) - a book movie that made you, as the reader, find a deeper meaning or catharsis in your own life
Is it cheating to mention a movie that is based on comic book characters? Probably, but I’m doing it anyway. I have an entire post about why Man of Steel is so important to me, but I can summarise that it became more meaningful to me after getting my Autism diagnosis because so many of the things that Clark goes through as a child who doesn’t know that he’s an alien was the same thing I went through as an undiagnosed Autistic child.
💀 Why ‘Man of Steel’ is Important to Me
3. yellow (sunshine) - a book that fills you with so much joy it could brighten even your darkest day
I recently finished reading this series and although I’m sad that it’s over, it’s a happy ending so I can’t be too sad. I have a hidden knack for finding manga that looks cute and fluffy on the outside but ends up having a cast of characters who all have familial trauma in one way or another (Fruits Basket and Sailor Moon come to mind), but this one is fluffy inside and out, which makes it a very quick and comforting read.
The whole ‘hiding that you’re a nerd’ thing feels kind of tacky considering that Japan still has a lot of work to do with regards to LGBTQ+ rights (although none of us are in a place to judge considering how widespread queerphobia still is in the Western world), and I did roll my eyes a little, but it’s whatever I guess.
4. green (nature) - a book that is set out of this world—a reality different to our own
Of course, I had to mention Leviathan, it is my favourite series after all. This series takes place in an alternate version of the First World War, where the fighting is between the Darwinists (those who use genetically modified beasts) and the Clankers (who use steam-powered machinery). It has been a long time since I read this series and it’s always in the back of my mind so I think I’m overdue for rereading it.
5. blue (peace) - a book where one of the characters finds peace with a difficult truth
It’s a little difficult to say why I chose Echo for this prompt without giving away the end of the book, but the truth that the characters come to peace with is very difficult and very painful, so I would say for you to read the book for yourself to see what it is.
6. purple (spirit) - a book that deals with LGBT+ themes and religion
The Henna Wars isn’t one of my favourite books but I do like how the story talks about the main character struggling with being a Muslim lesbian, as well as witnessing cultural appropriation happening in her school. Nishat goes through a lot in the book and seeing her overcome all of those obstacles is pretty satisfying.
I think it’s also important to note that Adiba Jaigirdar is Muslim herself so there’s no Islamophobia involved on the author’s part.
BONUS: black + brown (inclusivity) - a book where one of the characters is a queer character of colour / queer indigenous character
I finally read this book after it sitting on my TBR for years and I loved it! I don’t know why I waited so long to read it, but I’m glad that I finally got my butt in gear and read it.
This book follows Yadriel, a trans Latine boy who wants to prove himself as a brujo to his traditional family by performing his own ceremony but also ends up summoning the spirit of Julian who doesn’t know how he ended up dead. Naturally, I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, so definitely go read it yourself.
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Let me know if you do this tag! I want to see your answers!
