Notes on My Autumn Reads 2024 - The cosmic and the earthy

Top left to right: Bellies (Nicola Dinan), A Universe of Wishes - An Anthology (Ed. Dhonielle Clayton), Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars - A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir (Kai Cheng Thom), Hearts and Bones (Niamh Mulvey).

Bottom left to right: The Bird King and other sketches (Shaun Tan), Tales from the inner city (Shaun Tan), Agimat (Romalyn Ante), The Passion of the Rabbit God (Hongwei Bao).

Following a hiatus of a decade or so where I found it quite hard to focus on books, I have been reading a lot of works by ESEA (East and Southeast Asian) authors this year, in an effort to “catch up”. This selection has a one exception. As a continually recovering perfectionist, I’ve been stuck wanting to review books but while also often reading while commuting which makes note-taking a little tricky and also wanting to experience the book without the distraction of writing notes. Ironically, I have commuting to thank for reading again as I often read on the tube to alleviate travel anxiety. While I paused for lockdown times and for recovery from mental health difficulties, I re-discovered the benefit of immersing myself in the book worlds while bumping along on the tube - to the point that I’m even considering playing tube sounds in an attempt to read at home!

For me, having ADHD means I am most enthusiastic about something when I start doing it, and this applies to reading books. Therefore, it sometimes feels like the best time for me to write a review or share about a book would be as soon as I start reading it. As I progress, I suppose feel more introverted and towards the end, I feel a bit sad and don’t want to leave the world of the book. If I don’t make notes, my memory fails me and I actually can’t remember how I felt about the book!

I fantasised about writing in-depth, detailed reviews which would be greatly admired. I decided instead that I want to do this for myself - to remember what I’ve read, to share highlights of what I enjoyed and any comments. Therefore the content notes may only refer to aspects which I remembered or that I had noticed/read at the time of writing.

Apart from the two poetry books, I have borrowed these works from the library by ordering them which is I believe a free service, although it can take a few weeks or more for the transfer.

Please note that while this list contains books aimed at young people and adults. Therefore, this blog is also aimed at readers of 18+.

Bellies (Nicola Dinan)

This novel moves between the perspectives of Ming, a Chinese trans woman (she is pre-transition when the novel begins) and her white boyfriend, Tom. The London/ student squalor vibes reminded me slightly of Ghost Girl Banana (Wiz Wharton). Despite finding the two characters quite unlikeable, I found myself absorbed in the gritty details. While my circumstances are different to theirs, I am no stranger to relationship discord, bitterness and nostalgia!

Bellies was recommended to me by someone at RU Informed ESEA Bookclub and so I started reading it without knowing much about the story but it was great as I’d been thinking I hadn’t read any books by trans femme people. Lamentable, but also please remember that I’m just coming back to books and also I’ve mostly been reading ESEA books this year so most of them haven’t been queer either.

It’s weird but I both liked the cover and sometimes felt a little embarrassed by it’s overt fleshiness when reading it on the train!

The character Tom brought to mind Jade’s white boyfriend Kit in Jaded by Ela Lee.

Content notes: drugs, eating disorder, mental health

Verdict: Probably more earthy than cosmic!

A Universe of Wishes - An Anthology (Ed. Dhonielle Clayton)

I really loved this YA short story anthology collaboration between Titan Books and We Need Diverse Books. I was surprised that the first story was a gruesome as it is but it was still definitely compelling and unique.

Chronologically I completed A Universe of Wishes before the other books listed here. I found short stories less daunting than novels but also had enjoyed a book with a similar feel - Cool Awkward and Black. Both books did the job of leaving me wanting more (from some authors in particular!)

Dhonielle Clayton (editor), V. E. Schwab (author), Zoraida Córdova (author), Libba Bray (author), Nic Stone (author), Tessa Gratton (author), Rebecca Roanhorse (author), Samira Ahmed (author), Natalie C. Parker (author), Anna-Marie McLemore (author)

Content notes: violence

Verdict: Cosmic and earthy!

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars - A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir (Kai Cheng Thom)

Reading Kai Cheng Thom’s posts on resistance on Instagram at the time of the US Elections and also this book is something…

The stories are like flashes of light in train tunnels, dream darkness, teeth, acrylic nails and knives.

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir is the “highly sensational, ultra-exciting, sort-of true coming-of-age story of a young Asian trans girl, pathological liar, and kung-fu expert who runs away from her parents’ abusive home in a rainy city called Gloom.”

As I have been known to draw comics… I love the illustrated cover, the lettering and the pinkness.

Content notes: sexual violence, transphobia, violence

Verdict: Cosmic and earthy! although actually I’m still reading it!

Hearts and Bones (Niamh Mulvey)

I heard Niamh’s interview on London Writers’ Salon and was curious to read the book. I read this in less than 24 hours, partly as I wanted something calmer to read before bed and then I woke up at 5am with insomnia.

I felt inspired to be more honest at my therapist and also inspired me to consider writing short stories!

Later, I ended up attending a drop in session run by Niamh about writing - which was quite surprising.

Content notes: homophobic slurs, mental health

Verdict: Earthy and a bit cosmic

The Bird King and other sketches (Shaun Tan)

For a few weeks, I showed this to my student both as a way of keeping them focused and also as an improvisation stimulus.

Verdict: Cosmic and earthy!

Tales from the inner city (Shaun Tan)

The artwork is predictably phenomenal - city, creatures, mystery, alienation, assembly, loss and the vast mysteries of living and imaginative realms. There are quite a few familiar creatures in unfamiliar /surreal situations/stories. I had the pleasure of hearing Shaun Tan speak this year at a panel organised by Milk Tea Films and Walker Books. He signed some of my books! So then borrowed more of his books.

It seems curmudgeonly to criticise anything by Shaun Tan, but I personally found the text a little small and also serify for me to easily read. Perhaps I was expecting something more similar to Tales of Outer Suburbia. I enjoyed the artwork though - especially the cover which reminds me of my Curtainbag Plastic Ghost Fish.

Verdict: VERY cosmic and earthy!

Agimat (Romalyn Ante)

Awaiting reading!

The Passion of the Rabbit God (Hongwei Bao)

Awaiting reading!

Content notes: homophobia, violence

Daughter of the Moon Goddess (Sue Lynn Tan)

I was raving about this to everyone including my piano students when I started it. I loved the cover, the illustrations and the arc of fallen moon goddess daughter turned servant seeking to save her mother and seek justice. I made excellent progress and got to part 3 but then I lost steam…

After a trip to Hong Kong, I returned hungry for some ESEA storytelling so I completed it.

One of the things I found interesting about this book is that it looks like a romance (and I suppose it is) but it’s also an adventure story with monsters and battles. It’s interesting because it’s possible that if it had featured monsters or battle equipment on the front, I might have been put off but as it turns out, I am pretty interested in both monsters and battles as long as it’s within the context of a romance. I liked the elements of magic along with practicalities, agonising over decisions (I can relate!) and fantastical worlds. At the end I discovered there is a sequel, which I’m looking forward to collecting from the library.

I discovered that the text on the spine shines when there is something reflecting it. So, to get the photo below, I was holding a folder which somehow “illuminated” / “revealed” the golden text!

Content notes: battle scenes get very exciting and probably best not right before bedtime!

Verdict: Cosmic and some earthy bits!

Book spines of the 8 books mentioned above with the addition of Daughter of the Moon Goddess (Sue Lynn Tan).

writing, trans, LGBTIQ, creativity, ESEA, storytelling, books, queerculture, traumaThe Mollusc Dimension