Pride Month Round-Up: Best of LGBT from BooksByMigs and One Guy's Guide to Good Reads

**Post written by Ashley from BooksByMigs through our collaboration**

 

Ethan messaged me last night with this wonderful idea. Because June is Pride month he was telling me how I should have done something special on the blog highlighting some of my favorite LGBT novels. I loved the idea so much we decided to collaborate and feature some of our favorites!

Ethan's Round-Up

As anyone who’s hung out over on my blog will tell you, it’s my goal in the book world to make an impact as a male reader. I review from a male’s POV, offering new insight to both authors and readers. Being a straight male blogger has really taught me multiple things about not only the book world, but about life itself. There is so much knowledge to be learned through the power of literature. I’ve had my eyes opened and my beliefs confirmed, all through the movement of the written word.

While not a member of the LGBT community myself, some of my closest friends are. Through them I have seen firsthand the struggles that those in their community have faced. The monumental movements and strides made this week will forever impact their lives for the better. It is with great honor that we support them here today. That being said, I was, understandably hesitant to read my first LGBT read. Especially an m/m read. It’s not something I have any experience with personally, so I wasn’t sure how I would feel about reading one. I’m so glad I took a chance and read my first LGBT novel, as it definitely changed my life. Each and every one of the incredible novels I am featuring in my list has made a positive impact on my life in a variety of reasons. This is really a special thing for me to say, as romance is among my very least favorite genre. These novels have really changed the way I read. While I have only read a handful of novels that fit into this category, I know that there are many more that will touch me the way these stories have. In no particular order, here are my top four LGBT reads:

• Stolen by Becca Vincenza
The very first LGBT book that I read. I remember I only took the plunge because it was a paranormal novel primarily. From page one I was hooked and couldn’t let go. The relationship between Drake and Xavier is also probably among the most unique I have ever read. While they don't "fall in love" in the traditional sense, the fall in love, nonetheless. They are 'life mates', each others' one true love. While they are both extremely resistant at first, their budding friendship and relationship is seriously a thing of beauty. Completely take the sexual element out of the equation and at its' base, their relationship is rock solid. It was really interesting to read about that. Becca opened my eyes to this sub genre and I am honored that her novel was my first read.

     
• The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen
If you guys follow my blog, you know that I am a huge Sarina Bowen fan. Her Ivy Years series is among my all-time favorite NA Contemporary series. Each novel in this series hit me in a different way, but none hit me in the particular way that this one did. The relationship between Rikker and Graham was so incredibly hard for me to read. Their love story wasn’t an easy one. It was cringe-worthy at times and left me such an emotional wreck that few have topped since. Talking out the LGBT element out of the equation, you see two friends whose complicated relationship nearly cost them their happiness. To say it was emotional is a huge understatement. That being said, through this novel, I learned so much about what it means to be a New Adult member of the LGBT community. Sarina Bowen really helped to open my eyes to the issues faced by members in 2015.

      
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire-Saenz
This one was strictly a recommendation from my good friend Christina over at LuLo FanGirl. This is one of Christina’s all time favorite reads, with great reason. Oh man, get ready to catch the feels, I know I did. While the LGBT portion of this novel doesn’t present itself until the last part of the novel, the budding relationship between the characters of Dante and Aristotle was nothing short of literary perfection. Their character development was among the best I have ever read. Their love story was truly one for the ages. Full of emotion and triumph, watching them come into their own was such a rewarding experience.

    
• Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson
I only came across this novel thanks to the recommendation of our Ashley here from Books by Migs. She’s such a big Megan Erickson fan that I had been wanting to read one of her novels for months when I came across this one. I really didn’t know what to expect from the novel, but I can tell you that in the end I came out of it a better person. Justin and Landry’s relationship was one emotional roller coaster ride. And one that I really could relate to. They were both coming out of a very important part of their lives with some immense baggage on their shoulders. It was only through finding their relationship with one another that they were able to overcome their issues and make it through to the end. It was truly a beautifully crafter and incredible story of love, hope, and compassion. It was an honor to devour it.

Love is love and I am so proud to share with you guys these four LGBT novels that have changed my perspective on the genre. It isn’t one that I read often, but each novel I have read has changed me in some way, shape, or form. While romance will never be one of my favorite genres, novels such as these keep me coming back for more. It was truly an honor to experience each and every one of these reads. I highly recommend them to any and all readers, regardless of your beliefs or reading mindset. You won’t be disappointed! Huge congratulations to the LGBT community this week on their huge victory! Let’s all continue to work together to achieve equality for all and make the world a little brighter with each passing day! Happy Reading!

Ashley's Round-Up

June is a wonderful month for me. Not only does my daughter’s birthday fall in June, it’s also Pride Month. Everyone in the LGBTQ+ community gets together and celebrates us. We let the world know we are here and proud of who we are. We let them know that it’s okay to be us and we love just as much as they do. If you’ve never been to a Pride parade or festival I suggest you get to one next year. They are so much fun and can open your eyes to so much. Now that June has come to an end it’s such a blessing to be able to look back on this wonderful month and see all the good that has happened for our community. The biggest thing? The Supreme Court granted marriage to same sex couples in all 50 states! I didn’t think I’d see this or that it would even happen as quickly as it did. I love that my friends and family can marry, legally, and have it recognized all over the country. My heart is so full. Like I’ve said before, I adore reading LGBT novels. I get to see some of my favorite groups of people find love, be accepted and just live their lives. We are people too. We deserve recognition. Equality. Love. So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite novels. No particular order.

• Focus on Me by Megan Erickson
I love this book so much. Megan is so skilled in not just writing romance, but actually digging deeper into how people actually work. Focus on Me is no different. She created these two characters, Colin and Riley, and everything about them felt true and real. I lived their story with them and it wasn’t an easy one. Without getting into the story because it’s not out just yet (soon though! July 21st!) it’s not spoilery to say that mental illness plays a huge role in the plot of Focus on Me. That’s the big plot device on this story, not their being gay. I loved that. Both Colin and Riley were already out and proud and didn’t have any problems with being their true self. We need more of that in this world.

    
• Captive Prince & Prince’s Gambit by C.S. Pacat
There’s so much that can be said about these novels, and probably the third when it finally comes out. Damen and Laurent are everything. The series is a little bit fantasy, a little bit romance and a whole lot of awesome. Damen and Laurent’s being gay or bisexual have no bearing on the story at all. The story is about so much more than that. It’s about friendship and trust. It’s about fighting for what you believe in and making sure those you care for are taking care of. Thanks to my lovely friend, Lia Riley, I was introduced to this series and I love her immensely for it.

    
• Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler
Lesbians! Do you know how hard it is to find good lesbian fiction? Especially in Young Adult? Very. But Dahlia did it and she did it so well. Vanessa and Brianna are amazing. I fell for them as they fell for each other. 

 During the story Vanessa realizes she’s gay and needs to come to terms with that. And she tells her family and friends who she really is as well. This is so important to see in a book because there are so many kids out there who my feel like her and need to know that it’s okay to be true to themselves. And then there’s Bri. She’s bisexual and is not afraid to be herself. She’s not afraid to love who she falls for and that’s wonderful.

     
• Rush by Nyrae Dawn
This book, you guys. This. Book. I cannot say enough about this book. It’s one of my favorites ever. I mean outside of it being about two guys. Brandon’s coming out and dealing with the fallout because he’s this big college football player and Alec’s standing by his friend and the man he loves. It’s beautiful. It’s not an easy story to read but one that many people live. And Brandon’s parents? I love them so much. They exemplify how parents should act. They love their child unconditionally and sadly that just seems to be rare these days.

*****

Ashley really blew this post out of the water and I am so pumped to share it with you guys. Ashley is another amazing bookish friend of mine and this is our first official collaboration. We're so glad you stopped by to heard our take on LGBT reads! What are some of your favorites? Have you read ours? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz Review

Hey readers and a very happy Sunday to you all! I have been hard at work to get some reviews done for you guys, but I've had some distractions. Some distractions like oh, a new job, moving across the state, MY BIRTHDAY, ya know, some distractions... So I haven't been on my A game! Plus, if you guys haven't heard I co-hosted this amazing Halloween Author Invasion last week... Yeah, it's been a busy few weeks for me! BUT, alas, here I am and ready to share with you guys another awesome review! Hope you guys are ready, because this one was a very special read that came to me highly recommended by an even more special friend. You guys know her as the amazing Christina Marie, YouTube sensation and blogger extraordinaire from LuLo Fangirl! Anyway, this read is one of her ALL TIME favorites and after hearing her rave about it, I knew I had to check it out! This time on the chopping block? Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz! Here's a bit about the novel and the author before we get to my thoughts!

A lyrical novel about family and friendship from critically acclaimed author Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an author of poetry and prose for adults and teens. He is the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the American Book Award for his books for adults. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was a Printz Honor Book, the Stonewall Award winner, the Pura Belpre Award winner, the Lambda Literary Award winner, and a finalist for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. His first novel for teens, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood, was an ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His second book for teens, He Forgot to Say Goodbye, won the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, the Southwest Book Award, and was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. He teaches creative writing at the University of Texas, El Paso.

GOODREADS | TWITTER | WEBSITE

Check out this fan-made trailer for the novel before we get to my thoughts!

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My Thoughts: 

Every time I bring up my favorite books of the year, my very awesome and dear friend Christina has mentioned this read to me. She has never flat out recommended it to me because she didn’t want to push it off on me, but she definitely hinted that I should check this out. A few weeks ago I was in a bit of a reading slump and needed something to pull me out. Christina put the bug in my ear once more and I purchased an e-copy of Aristotle and Dante on the spot! I honestly didn’t know anything about this read going into it, so I really did not know what to expect. All I had was Christina’s word that this was one of her favorite books! I should have known this one was going to be a special read! Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (henceforth referred to as simple A&D), definitely blew me away and has definitely also made my embarrassingly long list of favorite reads! This was my first adventure into the mind of Benjamin Alire Saenz and after this read, I know it won’t be my last!

First off, the dedication. The dedication? Yeah, you read that right. I have to say that I am not one of those people who reads a book and finds a way to connect with a character every time. That’s just not how I roll for the most part. This book, however, had me connecting to all the characters and every situation. I couldn’t believe the book spoke to me the way it did. At one point in the novel, I somehow pushed a button and was taken to the dedication page, then I understood why this book was so special to me. The dedication reads: To all the boys who’ve had to learn to play by different rules. Yep. So much yes. How awesome to see a Young Adult contemporary novel not only about the lives of two males, but dedicated to males everywhere? That’s amazing in my books. Especially as a male blogger. It’s really difficult to find authors who can relate to their male readers, much less dedicate a book to them. That single sentence spoke volumes to me about our author, Alire Saenz. 

The setting. First off, I will go ahead and say that books set in the past usually are hit and miss for me. Especially “modern-ish” time stuff. Don’t get me wrong, Historic Fiction is one of my absolute favorite genres, but stuff that is set anytime in the past 50 years usually causes me to give a big eye roll. This one proved me wrong! A&D takes place in 1987 Texas. Strange right? Well, I have to say this worked for me WAY better than I ever imagined. Maybe it’s because I was born not too long after this, but I could definitely relate to a time before technology. A time when things were much simpler than they are today! I often wonder what teenagers did before the internet, what they did to kill time after school, what life was like, in generally for teenagers before my time. This read gave EXCELLENT insight to just how similar all teenagers are, regardless of the time period or the geographic location!

The characters. Okay, this is kind of an unfair category. As a YA contemporary, this entire book was about the character development. I can’t really say all that much without giving away huge plot spoilers, so I will try to be as vague as possible. I will just start out by saying that I am not sure I have EVER read a book in this genre with such amazing character development. Our main characters of Aristotle and Dante were two of the most well written male characters I have ever read. On an individual level, I will go ahead and say I really liked Ari (our narrator) a WHOLE lot more than Dante. Ari really resonated with me, I don’t know why specifically, but I could really relate to Ari at times. Dante on the other hand, while still REALLY awesome, kind of got on my nerves at times. I do believe that was the point though. He is very… different. He talks too much (like myself), and really makes it a point to make Ari uncomfortable and awkward at times, although he doesn’t realize he does it. I have friends that are a lot like Dante so I totally know what Ari was going through. When it comes to the friendship between these two characters, I was really amazing at how well written it was. It was genuine and really refreshing to read about a male friendship in a literary genre generally dominated by females. Now there were a few major points in Ari and Dante’s story that I could NOT relate to, but I still LOVED reading it all. Seriously, their stories really touched me. I haven’t finished a book with feelings like this in a long time. So funny how characters can do that. Ari is awesome. End of story. Dante is great too, but together as one team they really make the story enjoyable. It’s so great to see how characters can really be like two different puzzle pieces, but in the end they need to be looked at holistically to really understand how awesome their journey to “discover the secrets of the universe” really was! Another amazing set of characters I LOVED reading were both Ari and Dante’s parents. Man, seriously I was laughing out loud SO much at the things they would say. They truly were the coolest and best written parents I have probably EVER read in a novel. It was so cool to read a book where the parents played a big part of the storyline. There are so many times I read a book and say “where are the parents here?”, but not this time. The parents play just as important role in the story as our two main characters. It is under their guidance that Ari and Dante really come into their own and mature/develop. 

On the topic of laughing out loud, can we talk about how funny this book was? I found myself laughing out loud so many times during this read. These boys were hilarious. For instance, at one point Ari and his mother are referring to their dog and Ari narrates, “The dog thing was a joke. We didn’t have one…” and most people would probably be like “uh… okay?”, but I was cracking up! I’ve never really based a book rating on its emotional factor, but if I was to do that with A&D, it would be a perfect rating, no questions asked. One minute I was laughing my face off, the next I was so mad my blood was boiling, then the next, I was crying alongside our characters. You want to talk about an emotional roller coaster? Read THIS book!

I had so many highlights of amazing quotes in this novel that really added to all the points I have mentioned previously, some of the ones that really touched me were:

• “Yeah, I had all kinds of tragic reasons for feeling sorry for myself. Being fifteen didn’t help. Sometimes I thought that being fifteen was the worse tragedy of them all…” Heard that, being 15 is rough!

• “I had a rule that it was better to be bored by yourself than to be bored with someone else. I pretty much lived by that rule. Maybe that’s why I didn’t have any friends.” Again, was this book written just for me? Because I pretty much live by that philosophy!

• “I didn’t understand how you could live in a mean world and not have any of that meanness rub off on you. How could a guy live without some meanness?” This was such an interesting quote.

• “Maybe I was a little superior. But I didn’t think I was superior. I just didn’t understand how to talk to them, how to be myself around them. Being around other guys didn’t make me feel smarter. Being around guys made me feel stupid and inadequate. It was like they were all a part of this club and I wasn’t a member.” I seriously can relate to this SO well. Maybe it just spoke to me because in this sense I am so much like our narrator. I have always had more female friends than male friend, just because, like Ari, I had a hard time relating to the plight of the average teenage male. I’ve always felt like an old soul!

• “You can’t expect to go both ways when you’re driving on a one-way street.” Truth. For so many reasons.

• “Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer morning could end in a downpour. Could end in lightning and thunder.” You never know what life is going to throw at you next, live in the moment!

 

So that’s a bunch of quotes, but seriously, I have probably 20 more that I DIDN’T share. 

In the end, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe ended up being one of my new favorite books. Not just of the year, but ever. It spoke to me in so many ways. Although I will say that I did not expect the ending to happen like it did, and one part of the novel was a little uncomfortable for me to read, neither of those things made me dislike the novel in any capacity! I really liked that I didn’t know what I was getting myself into at all. It was really a trip down the rabbit hole for me and I had no idea where it would end. It was refreshing, enjoyable, and life-changing. Well… maybe not life “changing”, but definitely amazing nonetheless. All-in-all I am granting Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe a perfect 5+-star review! I highly recommend this novel to any reader (YA and up). In fact, I think everyone should read it. It really touches on a lot of issues that are just as relevant nearly 30 years later as they were in 1987! I don’t think anyone who takes the time to invest into this read will be disappointed in the end. In fact, I’d even say it may change you for the better!

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Alright everyone, that is all I have for you on the topic of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. I don't know what else to say except that this was one of the best books I have read all year! Have you guys read this incredible novel? Let me know what you thought in the comments! What about Saenz's other works? Anyone familiar with them? I am anxious to read more from this incredible author! Thanks so much for stopping by to read my thoughts! Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan