Porirua College

76,910 pages read and 3,345 team points

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LeithT

10,192 pts

(9,112 pages read)

Welcome to St. Hell

By Lewis Hancox

5 stars

This was so much fun! And wonderfully informative. He's a role model to so many young people, most of them know him from TikTok. This was one of my favourite LGBT graphic novels I've read during this challenge. I particularly loved how he portrayed his family and friends learning about his identity and supporting him.
Rolling in the deep

By Mira Grant

4 stars
DeadEndia: the watcher's test

By Hamish Steele

4 stars

Loved this! They really toned down the transness in the Netflix show, this is so much more true to life and therefore the love story at the heart of it is way more green flags. Also the ending was wild!! I can see why so many rangatahi are desperate for volume 2. The story does feel slightly less polished than other graphic novels in this genre so although I loved the characters, it wasn't as enjoyable as some others we have in our collection that has a similar vibe.
Cultish

By Amanda Montell

5 stars

This was fascinating. The point about controlling people via an in group language was so helpful. The MLM bit was heartbreaking in lots of ways learning how people are preyed upon. Such a compelling and accessible read.
Fitting Indian

By Jyoti Chand (illustrated by Tara Anand)

4 stars

A well done read about a young Indian girl struggling with her mental health in a community that doesn't like to talk about those types of things. I enjoyed the tips for dealing with dysfunctional family via writing them letters you don't post, going to a mental health specialist, and attending group for suicide survivors as a family. There were some loose ends I wished had been wrapped up like her childhood best friend nicknaming her India and how that made her uncomfortable the older she got. But I liked how they handled the dangers of teen drinking and social media use.
Into the drowning deep

By Mira Grant

5 stars

This was such a binge! I love Seanan McGuire's more speculative fiction, and didn't realize she published horrors under another name. She has such a way with words and pacing. It felt like a movie, the scenes were so well balanced. The disability rep was AMAZING as always. Having the deaf characters play such crucial roles and signing being an essential part of the plot. The only bit that put me off was the narrator could not do an Australian accent to save herself hahhaha. Definitely makes me want to read the physical book. And the prequel. And everything else Mira Grant has written immediately.
Northranger

By Rey Tercerio and Bre Indigo

4 stars

This was compelling Gothic horror. A gay retelling of Jane Austin's Northranger Abbey. Some loose ends didn't feel well tied up, and the relationship was a little too tumultuous in parts for me to see if it as healthy in the long term, but there were some excellent conversations about how difficult it is to feel like you're constantly pretending when you're in the closet. And I really enjoyed the moments of family acceptance of their queer kids. The romance was sweet and PG-13, just hand holding and stolen kisses, they did a good job of a cowboy teen romance.
Girlmode

By Magdalene Visaggio and Paulina Ganucheau

5 stars

This was very sweet. The author describes it as a trans-girl Clueless with Tai as the main character and I got to say that's do accurate. Although I felt the pacing was a bit strange with the shift in point of views near the end, it had such a powerful message about finding yourself and not living for others approval that I'll be recommending it to so many friends and library users going forward.
Out here: an anthology of Takatāpui and LGBTQIA+ writers from Aotearoa

By Edited by Chris Tse and Emma Barnes

0 stars
A quick and easy guide to they/them pronouns

By Archie Bongiovanni & Tristan Jimerson

5 stars

A book from 2018, and it's stood the test of time. Explains how exhausting it is to be misgendered by saying it's like having a brick added to you backpack each time it happens, and talking about how good allies speak up on behalf of trans people, with some great simple examples of what to say, how to say it, and how to check in with each other. Well worth giving to people whether they're new or well into their journey of being inclusive of nonbinary people.
Princess Jellyfish 2

By Akiko Higashimura

0 stars
The surgeon's brain

By Oscar Upperton

5 stars

The importance of this collection cannot be overstated - a transgender-male poet writing about real life transgender-male doctor James Barry from the Victorian Era. I enjoyed learning about his success performing cesareans - something that was rare and didn't usually result in the survival of mother and child. Oscar theorizes that Dr Barry was so good at cesareans because he was pregnant at one point and gave birth himself. The collection worked best for me near the end when the point of view shifted from Doctor Barry to the author himself. Oscar's an interesting poet in how he doesn't make his transness and queerness central to his work. He writes about all manner of things and keeps his personal life slightly removed from his work. I found the poetry written from the point of view of Doctor Barry to be similar. The doctor's transness was rarely the focus, rather it was about his work, how his colleagues viewed him, the lives he saved. In that sense it's a successful collection. Mirroring the artist and their subject. My favourite poem was Rorschad, I loved the line "erasing trans people from history is a violence against our community." And the line "you deny our existence in the past, and call our modern day existence 'a passing fad'."
A kids book about chosen family

By Madi Bourdon

5 stars

This was very sweet. They distilled a complex and sometimes painful topic to a simple and encouraging message for kids. I loved the outro for grown ups giving them tools to have a positive conversation with their tamariki about their own experiences finding non-biological family who supported them for who they are. I also really enjoyed the bit about how sometimes your chosen family has people from your given family in it and how those people are extra special i.e. a cousin or other relative. A lovely read.
From the stars in the sky to the fish in the sea

By Kai Cheng Thom

5 stars

This was a very sweet picture book about gender fluidity. It was done in a clever way where nontrans kids wouldn't necessarily pick up on the queerness but would learn about accepting people who are different from you.
New transgender blockbusters

By Oscar Upperton

5 stars

What a unique voice, it feels like Oscar is somehow contemporary and also old school with his poetry. Almost like a child's book of poems. But the poetry is about things that are much more clever. I love the rhyming structures and the almost fairy tale themes and occasional horror. Then the poems that were bright and round and comfy. My favourites were Oscar Wilde named himself after me, and the poem the collection is named after: new transgender blockbusters.
The boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse

By Charlie Mackery

5 stars

I can see why folks return to this book again and again. I felt so hopeful and warm after reading it. I love the horse having wings. And that the fox doesn't talk much, and the mole is so brave, and the sentiment that we are here to love and be loved. It reminded me of Calvin and Hobbes when Calvin gets philosophical.
A quick & easy guide to coming out

By Kristin Russo & Ravi Teixeira

4 stars

This was a really well done book! I loved how well they summarized and offered solutions to what can sometimes be overwhelming and complex concerns folks have about coming out. The suggestions for how to respond to mean reactions were great. And I loved their self care zine in the middle!! Nice little way of helping folk make a safety plan. I did struggle a little bit with the style the comic book artist used. But I thought Ravi's point of view was such great representation and really appreciated it in the end.
Papatūānuku - a collection of writings by indigenous wāhine

By Awa Wāhine

5 stars

I really enjoyed this. My favourite pieces were of course a Jessica Hinerangi's poem called the end of the world is the greatest love story ever told. I also really enjoyed the play script by Whitney Nicholls-Potts called a play in one scene - I loved her portrayal of Papatūānuku as a single mother thinking about dating now she's separated from her ex husband. There were some incredible one liners. This anthology felt like a warm embrace and was a great way to explore and practice my Te Reo Māori.
Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass

By Meg Medina & Mel Valentine Vargas

4 stars

A well done graphic novel about bullying and found family. I thought the romance was a nice little reprieve from the darkness of the story. It felt very real for how 15 year olds handle difficult experiences. I loved Lila, Piddy's sort of aunty in particular.
Witch boy

By Molly Knox Ostertag

5 stars

This was my first Molly Knox Ostertag read! Despite how I'd heard she's essential reading. It was lovely, pacy, and sweet. A great graphic novel for juniors. I'm excited to check out the series. The grandmother's speech made me smile so much. It was actually a really good ending, I like things being slightly messy and imperfect, an ending that's too neat is often the problem with graphic novels geared to a younger audience, so this was a lovely surprise. I can see why Molly's books have been so popular with the students at our school.
Amazing Ace, Awesome Aro

By Victoria Barron

0 stars
Lord of the rings: the two towers

By J.R.R. Tolkien

5 stars

This has been such a comforting listen. I love this series. Andy Serkis is a wonderful reader - he brings so much life to the meandering sections and sometimes passively written battle scenes. I've listened to many different readers over the years and Andy is my favourite.
Paradise Camp

By Yuki Kihara edited by Natalie King

5 stars

Incredible book. I haven't read many art history books before, and it's been a while since I dug into art theory texts, so some of the language felt out of my world of expertise. But many essays were very accessible and I learnt about important things like Sāmoan creation stories, the German and New Zealand imperialism in Sāmoa, the history of oceana gender and sexuality expansiveness, records as early as the 1700s of Fa'afafine, Fa'atama, māhū, Takatāpui. How Fa'afafine have been first responders during natural disasters but didn't have access to bathrooms at the emergency shelters. And the drastic rate of sea level rising in the Moana due to climate change. Learning how Kihara decolonizes art history through her work was wonderful. She's such an archivist that I loved exploring the reference material she shared in this book. Truly a treasure of a resource. And it made me want to explore her other book Sāmoan queer lives. And the art itself is beyond belief. I loved her Genesis piece in particular.
Brownstone

By Samuel Teer & Mar Julia

5 stars

A lovely graphic novel about a community trying to protect each other from gentrification and a young person getting to know her absent father for the first time. I really enjoyed the depiction of the 90s and learning about Guatemalan culture. Reading about the lesbian woman living in her bodega because no one would rent to her was a wild reminder of how bad lesbiphobia was in recent history.
Being Ace

By Edited by Madeline Dyer

3 stars

I've given this collection a good go and have struggled with the varying levels of originality and polish in each story. I have quite a high standard for short story collections, particularly anthologies because of my background as an author an book critic. I've read so many incredible collections and anthologies that my bar is too high I think. I know a lot of aro and ace folk who really enjoyed this book so I think my view of it isn't a reflection of the quality of the work itself. After all the good thing about an anthology is you can skip to the next one if you're not enjoying one of the stories.
Black Sugarcane

By Nafanua Purcell Kersel

5 stars

Absolutely divine. The poetry was on the whole really accessible and I like that in my poetry because it's easier to recommend to reluctant readers. My favourite poem was Protection Order. I've read and reread it - it's so well done. And I learnt a lot about the tragedy of the tsunami that hit Sāmoa in recent years. Nafanua is so wildly talented, the different tones and mediums explored in the collection were incredible. Some of the pieces made me laugh, others made me tear up. I really enjoyed learning about Sāmoan culture, language, and history in this collection. I also loved the thread of grandma lessons poems in the collection. And one of the final poems about Sina and Nua's vengeance, titled They Messed with the wrong Teine: a summoning.
A paladin's grace

By T. Kingfisher

3 stars

I usually love this author but this story felt unpolished. The romance felt like a sure thing and I was kind of sick of the characters gushing about each other for pages and pages in alternating POVs. I can see how people who enjoy a good straight romantasy would like this. The world was interesting and it made me think I should check out the prequels though.
A marvellous light

By Freya Marske

2 stars

I gave this book a good shot but I just couldn't find myself caring enough about the wealthy characters. I enjoyed the magic system but it also didn't feel original enough to pull me in. I know a lot of my friends enjoyed this book so it's probably just not quite my vibe.
Homebody

By Theo Parish

4 stars

This was so sweet. The opening poem was a little too meandering for me but once I got past it and the chapters set in I really enjoyed myself. I loved the authors description of their childhood. It was very relatable. And their acknowledgement about this book being a warm hug in uncertain times rang so true.
Hijab butch blues

By Lamya H.

5 stars

This was FANTASTIC. One of the most incredible memoirs I've read. It was so accessibly written, suitable for all ages. Their writing about queer indespenaibility and picking your fights to keep yourself safe were so useful I took down multiple pages of quotes. Will be recommending this to all my friends. I loved learning about how they embody their Muslim faith. I did want some linkage to the original reference text Stone Butch Blues. Although I haven't snagged a copy yet so once I've read the original text maybe there will be some more obvious connections.
Princess jellyfish 1

By Akiko Higashimura

5 stars

This manga is pure joy. The art is gorgeous, the story is hilarious, and the romance manages to poke fun at yaoi and yuri tropes while maintaining a sweet original story. The anime only adapted the first few volumes so I'm excited to read the story in its entirety and see who Tsumiki ends up with!
You weren't meant to be human

By Andrew Joseph White

3 stars

This was BRUTAL. And I thought Cuckoo by Gretchen Falken Myers was too dark. I usually love horror and have a strong stomach for gore but holy moly. I still adore this author and think it's an excellent book for the right person. But I am not that person. I'm glad I finished it because the ending was weirdly carthatic. But yes, I don't know if I could have managed this audiobook in the dead of winter during a busy school term. I'm going to have to do some comfort reading of the author's much more hopeful and palatable young adult horror novels to recover.
A guest in the house

By E.M. Carroll

5 stars

This was GORGEOUS. Such an excellent horror novel. I was hooked and read the whole thing in a single sitting. I can't wait to check out the author's other book through the woods. I loved the diversity of the women's bodies in the book. I think it was a perfect little horror because it is quite deceptive - I did not see the ending coming at all! I don't want to write too much because I think that might spoil the story.
The Magic Fish

By Trung Le Nguyen

5 stars

What a gorgeous book!! It's a replacement for a popular copy in the library that went missing a couple years back. The ending made me tear up it was so heartwarming. A beautiful story about a Vietnamese refugee mother learning to connect with her English speaking son, who doesn't know the words in Vietnamese for "I'm gay." The art is gorgeous. The only draw back was that I got quite confused on occasion because the faces were all drawn very similar. I'm going to give it a reread on my holiday to see if it's easier to distinguish who's who a second time round. The art and the story is so beautiful that a bit of confusion hardly matters.
It's ok that you're not ok

By Megan Devine

5 stars

This is one of the most helpful books I've read on out of order death (the death of a young otherwise healthy loved one). The quotes that helped me were around how if someone says it hurts within the first two years you say of course it hurts it only happened yesterday. And how society has been built to not support the grieving. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to be a more empathetic person or who is grieving an unexpected loss.
30 Queer Lives

By Matt Envoy

4 stars

I love the diversity of representation in this book. The experiences people have had are sometimes so brutal but it helped me reflect on how strong our community is. We are a powerful people. And this book spoke to how much we have to give to the world - from transwomen wrestlers, to transmen in the army, to queer playwrights and poets, fashion designers, and human rights activists. I finished this book feeling much pride. I do wish more Te Reo had been included in the title however.
The will to change

By Bell Hooks

4 stars

This was a recommended read on Gender Spiral -- I didn't agree with everything in it, but I did enjoy her way of writing about oftentimes heavy subjects. Her take on the imperialism and colonial messaging in polular boys series like Harry Potter was wonderfully articulated. Her example of how marbles was a boys only game growing up, which she was punished for playing, helped emphasize how ridiculous patriachy and gender roles are. It was an enjoyable listen.
Āria

By Jessica Hinerangi

5 stars

Jessica is such a talented wāhine. Her writing makes me fall more in love with reading. I loved practicing my Te Reo as I explored this collection, my favourite poem was Sleepover for the Takatāpui aroha, and her poem about spitting on Cook's statue, her rage was palpable.
Stag dance

By Torrey Peters

5 stars

Finished! Infect your friends and loved ones was a super accessible dystopian story with trans women figuring out their relationships to each other as the world crumbles around them. And the chaser, which had totally different characters, I loved Robbie the transwomen in that story in particular she was sweet but not a doormat. The next and longest story in the collection, Stag Dance, was by far the stand out! I found all the dolls in this story so lovable particularly Babe the protagonist. The work Torrey must have put in to this story is beyond belief given how it's written with language of the time. I let the lumberjacking terms wash over me rather than pause at every new word. I also loved the supernatural element being so gentle but enough to terrify. The final story The Masker was good but I don't feel it belonged in this collection. I just don't want nonqueer people reading it since it's a vulnerable story with lots of nuance to it that could easily be taken out of context. All in all, Torrey is incredible at endings, her stories leave such strong impressions. But this book was a lot less bingeable than detransition baby.
Inkheart

By Cornelia Funke

5 stars

This was the first time listening to this audiobook, I have read the book before but not since I was a child. I wanted to get an idea of whether it would be a good addition to the library as we already have the two sequels but are missing this first part of the story. It stood the test of time remarkably well, although there was definitely some references that felt very of the time so I'm still on the fence about whether it's right for a high school library. However, this was a comforting reread to me - I loved all the women's strength and the villains were truly terrifying. Elinor the great-aunt was a favourite, as a child she irked me but as an adult I was absolutely rooting for her and understood her frustration with the 12 year old Meggie insisting they follow a strange man into the woods to find her father.
A quick and easy guide to queer and trans identities

By Mady G & Jules Zuckerberg

5 stars

This was an adorable little read. I was so pleased by how well they handled all the sections in the book particularly the Healthy Relationships section explaining difficult subjects in a nuanced way like codependency and love bombing.
Echidna

By Essa May Ranapiri

5 stars

This collection made me swoon and laugh and cry. I particularly loved the love story between Prometheus and Māui - I loved learning new Reo and exploring the intersection between Greek and Māori mythology. The transness in this book was gorgeous exploring how a conservative transphobic and colonized world perceives gender expansiveness as monstrous.
Belle of the Ball

By Mari Costa

5 stars

I loved the butch representation in this book! It was so binge-able I read it in one sitting. The ending was a little too quick. Although the cute little windows into their lives after high school ended did help. Really a fantastic read for people exploring how gender expression shouldn't be dictated by sexuality stereotypes.

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Porirua College

76,910 pages read and 3,345 team points

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