#They both die at the end by Adam Silvera (I need to check for his other books too sometime but its ont eh to-do list) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

skygemspeaks · 4 years

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Please give us some more quotes!

okay okay okay, since you asked for it, here are some that are either really meaningful, or others that i just found really cute:

“The summer sun was not meant for boys like me. Boys like me belonged to the rain.” - Benjamin Alire Sáenz, “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”

“Words were different when they lived inside of you.” - Benjamin Alire Sáenz, “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Universe” (i have a slightly modified version of this one as a tattoo on my forearm because i loved it so much!)

“Maybe it’s better to have gotten it right and been happy for one day instead of living a lifetime of wrongs.” - Adam Silvera, “They Both Die at the End”

“Sleep heavily and know that I am here with you. The past is gone, and cannot harm you anymore. And while the future is fast coming for you, it always flinches first, and settles in as the gentle present. This now, this us, we can cope with that. We can do this together you and I.” - Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor, “Welcome to Night Vale, episode 12” (wtnv is full to the brim of amazing quotes that i love with all my heart and if i put all of them here, this post would be full of them. so lmk if you want more amazing wtnv quotes)

“I need to have things to remember to hold on to who I am. Today is…it’s gonna be one of those memories. Barry already gave me a day. And…I love him, Taako, with all of my heart, but you…I needed a day from you, because you are my heart. You know that, right?” - Griffin Mcelroy, “The Adventure Zone: Balance, episode 65″ (same as with wtnv, taz balance is full of amazing quotes. if you want to see some more of my favs from this series, check out this post)

“repeat after me: you owe no one your forgiveness. - except maybe yourself.” - Amanda Lovelace, “the princess saves herself in this one”

“Luc yawned, leaning back into the chair to regard me by the light of the sputtering candle. ‘You are lovely.’ I stood, frozen, unsure of how to respond. And then he baffled me even further when he lumbered to his feet and folded me into a tight embrace, as if he had known me his entire life and we had been separated for years.” - Rebecca Ross, “The Queen’s Rising.” (some important context for this one - this is not a conversation between love interests, but is in fact the first meeting between our main character and her adopted brother)

“‘This is my daughter,’ Jourdain said. ‘You will not touch her again.’ ‘She is mine,’ Allenach growled. ‘She is mine, and I will take back the life I gave her.’ Jourdain had the defiance to chuckle, as if Allenach had said the most foolish of things. ‘She was never yours to begin with, Brendan.’” - Rebecca Ross, “The Queen’s Rising” (the girl they’re talking about is the same one from the quote above. this duology has lots of very sweet adopted family feels)

“‘Please don’t hate me for this, but I’d always assumed the Handicapped were different from norms. We were taught at school that the only difference was a faulty immune system, but all the jokes people make about the smell, the stupidity, the ugliness...Well, they had a bigger impact than one science lesson.’ He paused. ‘I was on a base in Gamma sector when the news broke about the alien probe arriving at Earth. There were three hundred of us packed into a hall watching the vid coverage. We saw you, startlingly young for the job you were doing, with a name that told us you were descended from Tellon Blaze, then...’ He shook his head. ‘Then some bigoted civilian called you an ape, and we realized you were Handicapped. I think we were as stunned by that as by the news of the alien probe. That moment changed my image of the Handicapped from a slow-witted semi-human to a glowing girl.’” - Janet Edwards, “Earth Flight”

“The government says your existence is a crime, but no matter what kind of weapons you may hold, just being alive isn't a sin! There's no crime in living!” - Eiichiro Oda, “One Piece”

#anon asks #long post #spy reports

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canon-lgbt-characters · 4 years

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Need new books to read this year. Any current recommendations?

Before I start I really recommend @pridebooks for book recs with lgbtq+ characters! I’m in the server for the blog and the mod is cool and knows about lots of books with lots of different types representation

Anyway here’s my little list from what I’m interested in that’s coming out early 2020, note that I think all of these are going to be YA because I don’t really read adult and also I haven’t read any of these because they are not out yet!

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez is a debut fantasy coming out on January 7th and doesn’t have lgbt+ characters from my quick searches but is an own voices Latinx book heavily inspired by Bolivia and I think it’s worth checking out. The main character Ximena fakes being the last royal and marries the evil Atoc to spy on him and is a story about how nothing is in black in white especially with politics

Adam Silvera (author of They Both Die at the End, More Happy Than Not, and co-author of What If It’s Us?) is releasing Infinity Son on January 14th! It’s a fantasy book about two brothers, Emil and Brighton, going on an adventure with magic war stuff involved. From what I can find one of the brothers is gay, there’s two bi characters, and there’s going to be a super cool f/f couple!

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper is a contemporary romance releasing February 4th and it’s about Cal, a 17 year old boy who has to move because of his father’s new job working for NASA and he meets another boy who’s also had to move because of his parents NASA job and it sounds like it’s gonna be a really cute romance!

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli (author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and co-author of What If It’s Us?)and Aisha Saeed is a contemporary also coming out February 4th and is about Jamie, a Jewish boy, and Maya, a Muslim girl, becoming friends as they go door to door doing political canvassing! (No lgbt+ characters from what I can tell btw)

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace is a fantasy also coming out February 4th and I don’t know about lgbt+ or characters of color because I saw the word mermaid and basically stopped reading the summary so I could dig into it when I can get my hands on it. I’m a humble lesbian, I see the word mermaid related to a dark fantasy and my brain ceases to function

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales is releasing March 3rd and is a contemporary romance about a Ollie who had a summer romance with Will only to have Will ghost him, Ollie ends up having to move to Wills school where despite the fact Will is closested and Ollie decides he’s not interested the two keep running into each other

We Are Totally Normal by Rahul Kanakia is a contemporary releasing March 23rd and is about Nandan, a boy going into his junior year, who hooks up with his best friend Dave and struggles with his sexuality and what it means for himself and his life

For sequels, a much shorter list:

One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus coming out January 7th and I looooved One of Us is Lying so

I’m also really hyped for the new Miss Peregrine’s book The Conference of Birds by Ransom Riggs coming out January 14th because it’s one of my favorite series

There’s probably a lot I’m not thinking of but these are the ones google reminded me of so!

#asks

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dovahtobi · 4 years

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Could you recommend any gay books? I, a well known gay, am running out of gay things to read. Preferable to the guy on guy variety if you could, my good man

(Part 2) Or they could simply be funny. I have recently read P.S Your Cat is Dead and it was quite the delight

Honestly you’ve probably read anything I could recommend because I don’t have much. I’ve been trying to expand my m/m library but every time I look at “queer books!” lists it’s 99% f/f which is getting frustrating (not that there’s anything wrong with f/f but it’s a little tiring seeing ‘queer rep!’ and it JUST being one thing). But I’ll share what I have.

First up is a series that doesn’t focus on the m/m relationship but it is there and holy cow I love them and I ache for them and I cried and I cheered and I screamed and just -whale noises-. I want a series just about them though it’s not gonna happen but that is…

The Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab! This series destroyed me in the best and worst of ways and I’m never going to be over it, and the m/m couple in it just hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I love them so much and as I said I just want a series about them post-Conjuring Of Light SO BAD. This trilogy is one of my all time favorite series. It’s amazing.

Next up two books I HAVE read. Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli and Hero by Perry Moore. Simon is pretty much one of the most well known ones so I won’t go into it. Hero was pretty good but I don’t think there was much m/m in it? The main guy is gay and it’s about him being a closest gay superhero (in training? I think?), and it was decently good from what I can remember. I need to reread it tbh.

Unfortunately the rest of the list isn’t so much recommendations as it is “here’s what I own that I haven’t read yet”.

Some more known books, I have NOT read these yet. What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera, Autoboyography by Christina Lauren, We Contain The Multitudes by Sarah Henstra, Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, and The Infinite Noise by Laura Shippen. I have not read any of these so cannot attest to them.

More books I have not read!

Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling, Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee, and How (Not) To Ask A Boy To The Prom by S. J. Goslee. Again, have not read them so cannot say one way or another.

Some possibly lesser known books. The entire Underrealm series by Garrett Robinson has a lot of queer characters, I know there’s a few queer men in it but I don’t know if there are m/m relationships in it. I have read the first three books in the Nightblade series and really enjoyed them a lot.

For Ever by Cindy Paul is a collection of short queer fantasy stories, I unfortunately have not read it yet but I am hoping there’s some queer men in there. I know the author is planning on writing a series about gay werewolves soon so that’s exciting!

Darkened Light by Sarina Langer has a gay male in it but I don’t know if he ends up in a relationship or not. I have read other books by Sarina and they are amazing so I am excited to read Darkened Light.

And finally some graphic novels/comic series! That I have not read yet xD

Check Please by Ngozi Ukazu is about a gay hockey player and I am super excited to get the time to read it sometime soon! I know a couple of my tumblr friends really love it and are probably yelling at me right now for reducing it down to simply ‘gay hockey player’ so I apologize for that xD Heartstopper by Alice Oseman all I know is it’s a boy meets boy story which it says on the cover so lol and Bloom by Kevin Panetta is I think a m/m that involves baking.

OH I forgot “My Brother’s Husband” by Gengoroh Tagame! I have the first volume and it is SO good! But it’s more about the main character coming to terms with his homophobia. His deceased twin’s husband comes to Japan to learn more and it’s about that, and it’s so good. I HAVE read the first volume and LOVED it, but it’s not really m/m just a story on acceptance, understanding, culture, and family revolving around being gay.

Also I have just ordered “Cloaked in Shadow” by Ben Alderson the other day but it hasn’t arrived yet, and that is a gay male fantasy series I think.

I’m definitely missing some queer male books I’ve overlooked in my library or simply don’t realize include queer males. I wish my library was bigger and if you’ve got any recommendations feel free to throw them my way. Ditto to my followers. I especially want more m/m in fantasy/sci-fi.

#whew #long post #anonymous #Anonymous

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beckyalbertalli · 6 years

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Your 2018 Spoiler-Free Mega Guide to Albertalli Stuff

Deep breath. Big year. I’ve got lots of cool things coming up, so I’m creating this info-packed timeline to help walk you through it!

Ready?

January 30th

SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA: Special Edition Hardcover

Includes:

- 2 pages of black and white movie set photos from my personal collection

-11 pages of conversation transcript with Angie Thomas, Adam Silvera, and me, including the infamous boner story.

-15-page excerpt from THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED

-11-page sneak peek of LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT

- and, of course, 19 pages of Simon and Blue’s very first emails.

FAQ:

Where can I preorder/purchase this in the US? Links here.

Where can I preorder/purchase this outside the US? Book Depository

Can I order a signed/personalized copy? Yes! Call FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock, GA or email [email protected], and be sure to request that they hold the book for personalization. They can ship internationally for an additional fee.

Will the special edition bonus content be translated into any other languages? I don’t think so - this content was acquired specifically by my US publisher. I’m so sorry for any frustration!

Will the bonus content be available electronically? As far as I know, no.

Did you write the bonus emails? Yes.

Did you really tell Nick Robinson to enjoy his boner? Yes.

Also January 30th

SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA: Movie Tie-in Paperback

Includes:

-9 pages of me in conversation with Greg Berlanti and Nick Robinson

-4 pages of black and white official stills from the film

-7 page excerpt from the LOVE, SIMON script

-6 page excerpt from THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED

-8-page sneak peek of LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT

FAQ:

Where can I preorder/purchase this in the US? Links here.

Where can I preorder/purchase this in the UK/AUS/NZ? Links here. (PLEASE NOTE: At this time, I cannot verify what bonus content may or may not be included in the UK edition.)

Where can I preorder/purchase the US edition in other countries? Book Depository

Will the MTI bonus content be translated into any other languages? I don’t think so - this content was acquired specifically by my US publisher. I’m so sorry for any frustration!

Is the text of the book the same as other editions of SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA? Yup, same book!

Will this edition include the Simon/Blue bonus emails as well? No - that’s only in the Special Edition Hardcover.

Will the bonus content be available electronically? As far as I know, no.

Why is the LEAH sneak peek shorter in this edition than in the Special Edition Hardcover and UPSIDE paperback? It’s the same chapter, but it cuts off sooner. This is a different edition with different content.

Can Nick actually sing? Yes.

Also January 30th

THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED: paperback edition!

Includes:

-11 page sneak peek of LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT

FAQ:

Where can I preorder/purchase this in the US? Links here.

Where can I preorder/purchase this outside the US? Book Depository

I’m confused - my copy of UPSIDE has always been a paperback. You probably have the UK/AUS/NZ edition, which has been paperback from the beginning.

Will I still be able to purchase THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED in hardcover if I want. Yes!

Do I need to read SIMON VS before reading UPSIDE? No. You’ll miss a few Easter eggs and references, and UPSIDE occurs chronologically after SIMON in the same universe - but UPSIDE does not spoil Simon (and Simon’s love interest is not mentioned by name in UPSIDE). Many people have read UPSIDE first.

Does this edition include the recipe for edible cookie dough? Nope. Google it!

March 16th

LOVE, SIMON releases in the US!

Trailers:

Full length

Teaser

FAQ:

Is LOVE, SIMON based on a book? Yes. It’s based on my book, SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA.

(This is, in fact, a frequently asked question.)

Is the film being released in my country? I’m afraid I’m not given up-to-date information on international release dates. It is being released widely, and dates have been set for many countries. However, changes to release dates are common, and I’m unable to keep up with that info for every country. I recommend checking IMDB and/or the major film distribution outlets in your country.

How involved were you in the creative process for LOVE, SIMON? Are you happy with the film? My team was very collaborative, and I obsessively love this film. Check out my film-specific FAQ here.

Will there be any early screenings in my city? I’m not involved in organizing screenings, and I usually don’t have up-to-date information on this.

Is Blue’s identity the same in the film? Yes.

Something from the trailer looks different from the book. WHY??? Check out my film-specific FAQ here.

Have you seen the film yet? Yes, and it’s even better than you think it is.

What songs are on the soundtrack? Check out this writeup in EW and preorder the soundtrack here!

Tell me about the cast and crew of the film. Check out my film-specific FAQ here.

Will there be merch?! I don’t know! Hopefully?

Do I need to read the book before I watch the film? I can’t make you, but I hope you'll check out the book either before or after the film!

Would you consider making a film of UPSIDE, LEAH, or WHAT IF IT’S US? I have no control over whether a film gets made of any of my books. I’m sorry!

April 24th

LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT: hardcover

FAQ:

Where can I preorder/purchase this in the US? Links here.

Will it be available in the UK/AUS/NZ at the same time? Yup, via Penguin UK - I just don’t have a link yet.

What about other countries? Translation rights for LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT have already been acquired by multiple countries, but I don’t have updated information yet on their publication dates, covers, and purchase links. In the meantime, you can preorder the English language version from Book Depository.

Do I need to read SIMON VS before I read LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT? What about THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED? You’ll probably want to read SIMON before LEAH, since Leah’s story is a fairly direct sequel to Simon’s. LEAH definitely spoils the ending of SIMON VS. You’ll miss a few Easter eggs if you haven’t read UPSIDE yet, but it’s not necessary to read UPSIDE first.

Can you send me an advance reader copy of LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT? No ARCs will be available for this book. It’s embargoed until its release date.

Will you be touring for this book? I will be, but I don’t have updated information on that yet.

Will Simon and the rest of the Creekwood High School gang make an appearance in this book? Yes - basically every character you know from SIMON VS makes at least a short appearance. Most make significant appearances. Simon in particular plays a very large role.

I heard Leah might be bi. Is that true? Yup! She’s bi (Simon doesn’t know yet, which is why it’s not mentioned in his book). That said, this book is not about her discovering or coming to terms with bisexuality. She has known she was bi since age eleven.

Nope, you’re not.

Is Leah fat in the book? Yes.

Will you write about <insert character> next? No, it’s very unlikely. The Creekwood gang are graduating seniors in this book, so it feels like a very natural ending point for the Simonverse.

October 9th

WHAT IF IT’S US hardcover, co-written with Adam Silvera

FAQ:

Where can I preorder/purchase this in the US? So far, here!

Will it be available outside the US? Translation rights for WHAT IF IT’S US have already been acquired by multiple countries, but I don’t have updated information yet on their publication dates, covers, and purchase links. In the meantime, you can preorder the US version from Book Depository.

What imprint of HarperCollins is publishing WHAT IF IT’S US? We have two imprints and two editors! WIIU is both a Balzer + Bray book and a HarperTeen book.

Here’s the team! Editor Donna Bray (who has edited all of my books), agent Brooks Sherman, a tall dude, and editor Andrew Eliopulos (who edited Adam’s THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END).

Who wrote Arthur’s sections, and who wrote Ben’s? If you don’t already know, you’ll get a clue in the first line of the book.

Did you know your title is a lyric from a song in DEAR EVAN HANSEN? Yup, that’s intentional.

Will it have a Becky ending or an Adam ending? You’ll have to read to find out! (Seriously, though, if you need to know about possible triggering moments in the book, reach out - we can give more information if you need it to be safe!)

Can I get an Advance Reader Copy? No ARCs are available yet. When they’re available, please reach out to HarperCollins (we won’t be handling ARC requests directly).

Will you be touring for WHAT IF IT’S US? Yes, but we don’t have the details on that yet.

Will this book contain kissing? OH YES.

December TBA

DEAR HEARTBREAK: YA AUTHORS ON THE DARK SIDE OF LOVE (anthology edited by Heather Demetrios)

No FAQ yet, but learn more about this anthology here!

General FAQ:

Will we get a book written from Blue’s POV? No, that’s very unlikely. However, check out this series by Bansheee on Ao3, which is what I would have written, only better. SPOILERS!! Seriously, check out Ao3 for so much incredible, original work in the Simonverse.

Please follow me on Twitter! I’m so sorry - I don’t respond to any follow requests. It’s not personal at all, I promise.

Do you ever intend to write a book about a character from <a particular marginalized community>? This gets complicated! I’ll never say never, but I always want to make sure I can do this character justice before I attempt to write from their POV. For many marginalized communities, mainstream YA representation is so scarce that I am mindful of how much space I’d be taking up by writing outside my lane. That said, writing diverse casts of characters is incredibly important to me, and I hope to get better and better at including thoughtful, nuanced rep of a broad range of communities. It’s also REALLY important to me to read widely and boost the amazing (often #ownvoices - hashtag cr: Corinne Duyvis) work other authors have already put out there. A few fantastic resources: LGBTQReads, Latinx In KidLit, We Need Diverse Books, American Indians In Children’s Literature, Coretta Scott King Book Awards list, Disability in Kidlit, and Rich In Color.

You haven’t replied to my email yet! I know - I’m sorry! I’m super behind. I get lots and lots of emails, and every single one of them makes my day. I will hopefully have the chance to write back to each of the personal ones eventually.

I have a question that wasn’t addressed in this post. Where’s the best place to ask it? Email my assistant, Matthew, at albertalli.requests at gmail.com. He’s much quicker to reply than I am, AND he’s awesome, AND he knows everything.

That is literally Matthew sitting behind Bram Greenfeld. He’s in the movie!

Okay, y’all! That’s the latest. I love you, thanks for reading this far, and don’t forget:

youtube

#Becky Albertalli #simon vs #love Simon #the upside of unrequited #leah on the offbeat #what if its us #dear heartbreak #faq #adam silvera

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arcasra · 6 years

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Arcana Spotlight Entry — “Death-Cast”

@thearcanagame

‘Death-Cast’

-modern au

-fan apprentice au

By @arcasra

Inspiration:

This entry is inspired by the book I just finished reading (in 4 days) and instantly became my favorite. That’s Adam Silvera’s “They Both Die At The End”. As I’m writing this on a word document, it is nearing 11 p.m., and just a few hours ago I cried inside my classroom, reading the last page of it. I faced the wall for a good solid 10 minutes.

I read that a week before finals and, safe to say, it gave me much hope. The story follows two teenage boys who are both Deckers—people who are about to die. They develop a special friendship that nothing else can ever replace. This book taught me, as ironic as it sounds, to live each day to the fullest. I always think that after each day, there would be a tomorrow, but this book contrasts to all of that. What if it is your last day on earth? How would you spend it?

I would like to thank Adam Silvera, whether this message would reach him or not, for all the lessons and morals inside the book. I read this book in school, surrounded by noisy classmates, but every time I delve myself into the world of Mateo and Rufus, I feel like I’m in the world with them. Thanks to Adam, also, for making me believe more in the probability of death, and that it is inevitable. All of us have our expiration dates. So until that day will come, we should be living in every moment that we can.

Synopsis:

On April 6, just a few minutes after the clock struck midnight, Asra and Ida received a call from Death-Cast, a company that rings your phone to tell you that you’re going to die on that day. The two have never crossed paths before, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. Through the app called Last Friend, Asra and Ida are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.

I D A

12:27 a.m.

Death-Cast is causing my phone to ring, about to tell me that I’m going to die today. I’ve dreaded this day since I knew about the algorithm, and I never had the idea to question how, but why. It was launched when I was in third grade, sitting in the same bed that I have now. My dad and I were watching t.v., and this headline comes up of a company that calls you on the day that you are scheduled to die. At first I thought that it was kind of awesome, for the world to come to that point of technology, but as I grew older, I feared the call that nobody else wanted.

Yet here I am, staring at the caller ID on my phone. It’s there alright, bright and clear: DEATH-CAST. I could come to think of it as a prank, but the chances are too slim. Someone up at midnight just to instill fear into random people? Wait, that’s what the heralds do, anyway.

I press the bright green button and place the phone to my ear.

“Maureen, are you there?” the herald says. In what world am I a Maureen?

My throat grumbles. “No, no I’m not Maureen. I’m actually Ida. Ida Crest. Can you check to see if I’m really the one you’re supposed to be calling?” I could still get out of this, live another day.

“Sorry about that, but Maureen was the person who I got just got off the phone with. Anyway, you’re Ida Crest, born and raised in Lower Vesuvia?” but the herald puts my thoughts to shame.

“Yes, I am her.” I say. My phone is shaking as I hold with two, very sweaty hands. I stare out the window.

“Then hello, I’m calling from Death-Cast. I’m Liam.” he pauses. Should I say hi to him?

“Hey, Liam.” I do.

“Ida, I regret to inform you that sometime in the next twenty-four hours you’ll be meeting an untimely death. And while there isn’t anything we can do to suspend that, you still have a chance to live.” That sentence gives me a bit of hope, but it instantly shatters as he starts advertising to me the different simulations and programs for Deckers—those who are about to die—are recommended to do on their End Day. That’s kind of sweet to think about, but once you’re the one dying, it’s a whole lot different.

At age four I wanted to die because of an unknown disease, like a sudden loss leading to a ground-breaking cure or something more important. Instead I get this, some guy named Liam calling me on my year-old phone to tell me that I’m about to die today. That’s great. I whisper a little ‘sorry’ to the four year-old me. She can go back to braiding her dog’s hair.

Liam keeps speaking. “Log on to death-cast.com and fill out any special requests you may have for your funeral in addition to the inscription you’d like to engrave on your headstone.”

I don’t exactly have a clear idea of what I want the world to remember me as, other than ‘another girl who’s just there to waste the earth’s oxygen’.

“And Maureen, on behalf of everyone here at Death-Cast, we are so sorry to lose you. Live this day to the fullest, okay?” Liam says. I could feel his eyes getting droopy through the phone.

I hold my breath, close my eyes, and let everything slip away from me. “Okay.”

He hangs up.

A S R A

1:32 a.m.

Death-Cast calls me an hour after midnight, making me stop reading cookbooks at this late. This is it, I’m going to die. I press the answer button.

“Hello, Asra. I’m calling from Death-Cast. I regret to inform you that sometime in the next twenty-four hours—”

“Twenty-three.” I cut the herald off. They should get their clocks fixed.

“Sorry, in the next twenty-three hours, you’ll be meeting an untimely death…”

She goes on about programs for Deckers around Vesuvia, and how life isn’t always fair. It isn’t. In no way. It’s only up to us to make it a fair game.

“Asra, on behalf of everyone here at Death-Cast, we are—”

“—sorry to lose you. Thanks.” I complete, and I hang up. I’ve heard this call before, when my younger brother received it on his Nokia two years ago. I was beside him, holding his hand as he cried. He told me that he wanted to go playing video games, so I stayed at home all day with him. After dinner, he went to the bathroom. I voted to go with him but he said he needed privacy. I continued playing Resident Evil. You get that feeling that if you’re doing something that you enjoy, you won’t notice the time going by?

Exactly what happened to me. I finished a whole level before I realized that it has been an hour and a half since my brother went in the bathroom. The controller slipped out of my hands as I darted to go find my brother. As expected, the door was locked, so I had to kick it with all my might.

On the bathroom floor he lay, blood pouring out of the back of his head which is slumped on the edge of the bathtub. A rug was out of place, so I took it that he slipped. He’s very clumsy, I’ll say.

And I don’t want to go like that.

I drop my phone to the floor, and lie back on my bed, eyes completely open, staring at the dark ceiling.

Just like my brother.

I D A

2:09 a.m.

I made a Last Friend account. It’s an app where you can make a profile to meet other people who are dying the same day as you. On there, I go through almost ten profiles of guys and girls, before I come to some guy who’s in the area with me. He’s Asra, and he’s messaged me first.

A S R A

2:12 a.m.

@asranomy at 2:12 a.m.: you near upstate park?

@crestida at 2:12 a.m.: yea

@crestida at 2:13 a.m.: are you dying today?

@asranomy at 2:13 a.m.: sounds like a harsh way to put it but yeah, i am. how about you?

@crestida at 2:14 a.m.: same…

@crestida at 2:16 a.m.: wanna meet up somewhere?

@asranomy at 2:16 a.m.: how do i know that you’re not some sketchy dude?

@crestida at 2:17 a.m.: because i would be asking you the same thing

@asranomy at 2:17 a.m.: fair enough. so where do you wanna meet up?

@crestida at 2:18 a.m.: you’ve mentioned it already so maybe… upstate park?

@asronomy at 2:18 a.m.: cool. you better look like your account pic

@crestida at 2:19 a.m.: you should too

I D A

2:45 a.m.

I reach the park before he does, sitting down on one of the hundreds of empty benches. If he comes up behind me and kidnaps me and takes me to his basement, that would be an ugly ass End Day.

From the bench I could hear the soft ruffling of the leaves. The moon is still out, being my only light since the lampposts are all turned off.

The sound of the leaves and crickets tone down and I hear footsteps walking towards me.

A S R A

2:52 a.m.

On a bench I spot a figure. No, it’s a girl. She must be Ida.

I come up in front of her, hands in my pockets. Her eyes widen a little, I have no idea why.

“Are you Ida?” I ask.

“Are you ‘bout to pull a knife at me?” she retorts, hands pressing down on the wooden bench at either side of her.

“Hell no. That’s too mean, dying two hours right after you get the Death-Cast call. I’m Asra.” I pluck one of my hands out of my pocket and hand it to her.

She grabs it but doesn’t shake it. She uses it to pull herself up.

I D A

2:57 a.m.

I stand beside him. From here I could see that he’s at least an inch or two taller than me, nothing grand.

“So… Asra. How do you wanna spend your last day on earth?” I ask, looking up to face him. He’s got these wonderful violet eyes that I could get lost in, and striking white hair that looks like a cloud pooped on his head.

“Well I couldn’t travel the whole world in one day, so maybe with someone who’ll die with me.” he says, smiling the slightest.

“Who do you think will die first?”

“I bet that I do. Look, I know I’ve just met you, but I don’t wanna see you die, nah. That would hurt.”

A S R A

3:31 a.m.

We’ve both agreed to head to a coffee shop that both of us have never been at before. Ida orders something crazy, something they call a ‘unicorn frappuccino’. She told me she’s always had an iced coffee, and never bothered to try something new.

So on the day that she’s going to die, which happens once in a lifetime, she gets an unusual drink, which also happens once in a lifetime.

I get a cup of black tea from China.

L U C I O

3:42 a.m.

Death-Cast did not call Lucio because he isn’t dying today, but he is making drinks for two very different people. Out of all the customers Lucio’s had, they’re the most… unique. He thinks they’ve had a mutual agreement prior to this moment to get to this coffee joint and order drinks that were about to be crossed off the menu.

At the back of his head he has a thought that one of them’s dying today.

Lucio guesses it’s the boy white the white hair, but he could be wrong.

I D A

4:06 a.m.

After a quick trip to the coffee shop, Asra and I head to the hospital where my mom is. She’s scheduled to have an operation for one of her kidneys in two days, and since I most likely won’t make it in two days, I decide to leave a note for her. She’s been in a medically-induced coma for about four days now.

The hospital is a quick walk from the coffee shop, only two blocks away. I tell Asra the whole story while we walk.

A S R A

4:18 a.m.

The hospital is still bright, standing out like a star. The woman at the front desk is surprisingly not asleep. She tells us that visiting hours ended at ten. I encourage her to let us—heck, only Ida if she insists—in Ida’s mom’s room.

Just when I thought all else failed, Ida steps in and tells the lady that we’re both Deckers. The lady gives us a bit of her sympathy, and hands us two visitor passes. I pocket both of those.

We decided not to take the elevator, since it seems like an instant death wish, and we both want to last as long as the world will let us. Three floors up doesn’t look like a big climb, so we agree on taking the stairs.

P O R T I A D E V O R A K

4:22 a.m.

Death-Cast did not call Portia Devorak because she isn’t dying today. Or in a few days, she hopes. A week ago her boss gave her a warning not to let people in after visiting hours, since she’s done it about five times already. Ms. Samuels said these exact words: “Another visitor after visiting hours, and you’ll find yourself on the streets of Vesuvia. Stop risking the patients’ lives.”

But because of those two young people at the counter on that early morning, she would gladly give up her job. Portia couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have your mother asleep when you’re about to die. For those two kids, she would gladly do anything.

Even if that meant being kicked out of the hospital she’s worked at for six years.

I D A 4:57 a.m.

It doesn’t take particularly long for us to reach the third floor. Not one of us died on the way up, so I’ll take that as a good sign.

Mom’s doctor is in the room when Asra and I walk in. He’s checking her vitals, making sure that she’s set to live another day, something that I would be beating her to.

“Ida, why are you here this early?” Julian, mom’s doctor since she’s had me, asks.

“Visiting mom. Is there something wrong with that?” I say. He shakes his head frantically, red hair dishevelling itself.

“No no no, nothing is. Take all the time you need, Ida.” he says, leaving mom’s bedside. “Oh, you’re informed about the operation on Thursday, right?”

“Yeah, I am.”

He smiles at me, then at Asra, who gives him a stern look.

“Have I seen you before?” Asra asks.

“I don’t think so,” Julian quickly replies, then walks out of the room.

J U L I A N D E V O R A K 5:04 a.m.

Death-Cast did not call Julian Devorak because he isn’t dying today. But Ida’s mom might.

Ms. Crest is close to fading away, yet Julian doesn’t tell her daughter so that he won’t add to her troubles.

He’s met Asra before, at the hospital as well. Asra brought in his younger brother who had his head split, bringing him to the first doctor he can see. Julian told Asra that he wasn’t in pediatrics, but he’s offered to take Asra’s brother to an emergency room to try to save him.

Julian was the one who brought him in. Julian was the one who tried to save him. Julian was the one who exited the emergency room alone. Julian was the one who told Asra that his brother was dead.

A S R A 5:37 a.m.

Ida takes one hell of a long time to say goodbye. I stayed in the room with her, which was her choice. She whispers words to her mom, hoping she’s listening. Ida writes something down on a notepad next to the bed, then walks out the door, I follow suit.

We pass by the woman at the front desk again, and now she looks worried like she’s seen a ghost. I don’t pay any more attention as we pass the double doors and out of the hospital.

Ida’s hungry, so we stop by her favorite diner. We eat for about an hour, in complete silence.

7:00 a.m.

They’re both full from their last breakfast.

8:00 a.m.

Asra convinces Ida to go visit Muriel, his best friend. Ida agrees. Asra leaves Muriel an envelope with cash in it, and a note telling him to go to college, for Asra.

10:00 a.m.

Asra and Ida take a bus tour all around the city of Vesuvia. They both see sights they’ve never seen before.

12:00 nn

Asra reaches to hold Ida’s hand as they walk to a restaurant for lunch. Ida doesn’t pull away.

2:00 p.m.

Asra and Ida go to a travel expo. They both buy tickets for a trip to the Bahamas.

3:00 p.m.

They leave the Bahamas’ tickets on the side of the road.

4:00 p.m.

Ida insists they visit the college she’s supposed to attend. It turns out to be the school Muriel dropped out of.

5:00 p.m.

Asra and Ida enter a bookstore and buy a stranger named Nadia, who has purple hair, the books on her reading list. Nadia offers a coffee trip with the two, but they decline.

6:00 p.m.

Asra bumps into a businessman named Lucio, who drops his briefcase. It’s full of amazing drawings of Vesuvia in the ancient days, with castles and magic shops. Asra and Ida help him gather his sketches, then tell him to quit doing business, and just draw. Lucio takes it to heart.

7:00 p.m.

Ida kisses Asra under a streetlight.

8:00 p.m.

They sit back at the bench in Upstate Park.

9:00 p.m.

Asra and Ida play with a lost puppy, who eventually wanders off into the dark. Both of them become anxious of their time left together.

10:00 p.m.

Ida volunteers to go looking for the puppy. Once she’s out of Asra’s view, he goes searching for her.

11:00 p.m.

Asra finds police cars and and ambulance truck. He pushes through crowds of people and spot Ida run over by a black car. The puppy runs off into the distance. He begs the paramedics to take her to a hospital. Instead of bringing out a stretcher, they bring out a body bag. Asra sulks and walks off, back into the park. He lies down on the bench that he first saw Ida in.

11:30 p.m.

Asra closes his eyes to go to sleep. He doesn’t wake up.

12:00 a.m.

#Arcana Spotlight #the arcana #the arcana game #nix hydra #writeblr #they both die at the end #adam silvera #modern au #fan apprentice #arcasra #ida x asra #asra #julian devorak #julian #portia #nadia #lucio #muriel

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batboyblog · 6 years

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Good gay YA books to read.

Hi guys, I updated my gay book list, check it out! share, reblog etc! and most importantly! stop by and tell me what you read/liked! ask me any questions you have, share your thoughts, love you guys!

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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

Silent by Sara Alva

One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva

Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak

Alan Cole Is Not a Coward by Eric Bell

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Felix Yz by Lisa Bunker

Peter Darling by Austin Chant

Gives Light by Rose Christo

Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer

Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

Tales from Foster High by John Goode

Half Bad Books (Half Bad, Half Wild, Half Lost) by Sally Green

Totally Joe by James Howe

After School Activities by Dirk Hunter

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson

The Boy Who Couldn’t Fly Straight by Jeff Jacobson

Haffling by Caleb James

The Red Sheet by Mia Kerick

The Lightning-Struck Heart by T.J. Klune

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by J.C. Lillis

When Ryan Came Back by Devon McCormack

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Life as a Teenage Vampire by Amanda Meuwissen

The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller

Hero by Perry Moore

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Play Me, I’m Yours by Madison Parker

Here’s to You, Zeb Pike by Johanna Parkhurst

Junior Hero Blues by J.K. Pendragon

When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid

The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez

So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Freak Show by James St. James

Ray of Sunlight by Brynn Stein

(In)visible by Anyta Sunday

366 Days by Kiyoshi Tanaka

Because You’ll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas

Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

Suicide Watch by Kelley York

again! let me know what you read and like and feel free to ask me any questions if you need help picking something out!

#gay #gay books #books #book recommendations #YA books #good books #rick riordan #rainbow rowell #adam silvera #chris colfer #david levithan #Sally Green #shaun david hutchinson #ask #LGBT books

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neverendingtbrlist90 · 7 years

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Fall 2017 Pride Readings

Fall is finally here and with it comes LGBT History Month in October. To celebrate, I’ve compiled a list of books with queer main characters. All books have been/will be published in the second half of 2017. Feel free to add more titles!

The Gallery of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz- A young artist must take care of herself and her younger sister when her mother rushes off to Puerto Rico to take care of her grandmother who has fallen into a coma. She’s also falling in love with her best friend. While struggling with her art, a new neighbor introduces her to the Red Mangrove Estate, an artists’ colony. The catch? No art can leave the Estate.

Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert- Colbert’s sophomore novel is about a black, Jewish, bisexual girl named Suzette and her brother Lionel who fall in love with the same girl. Lionel struggles with bipolar disorder and adjusting to his medication. If you haven’t read Colbert’s first novel, Pointe, run to your nearest bookstore/ereader and buy it! It’s amazing!

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens- This book holds a special place in my southern, living in the small town, queer heart. Billie is the daughter of a preacher in a small Kentucky town, and she loves her community and her group of friends called the Hexagon. The group bands together to save the community’s fall festival and Billie struggles to find the space she needs to understand and express her gender and sexuality. It’s easily one of my favorite books of this year!

They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera- Title tells you everything. Silvera’s third novel has already hit the NYT bestseller list and I’ve heard it’s just as amazing as History is all you Left Me and More Happy Than Not. Features two Latino boys who become friends after they both receive a call that they’ll both be dead within 24 hours. I haven’t read it yet, but if it’s anything like Silvera’s other books, I’ll need a box of tissues close by.

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller- A genderfluid teen wants revenge after losing everyone and everything that’s ever mattered to them. Sal decides to audition for the Left Hand, the queen’s elite group of assassins, but to earn their place, Sal must compete in a fight to the death.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust- Who wants to read a retelling of Snow White where she’s a lesbian? This book is a duel POV between Lynet (Snow White) and Mina(the stepmother) who are only alive because of Mina’s dangerous and powerful father, who gave her a heart of glass.

I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin- Two best friends part ways as they head off to college and communicate through texts and emails and share their new experiences. Ava struggles with anxiety and steps out of her shell for new experiences and maybe finding her first boyfriend while Gen explores her sexuality and falls for her TA.

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren- Tanner was an out and proud bi boy until his family moves to Utah. But then his best friend dares him to take a senior seminar class where he must write a book and falls in love with his teacher’s son.

Spinning by Tillie Walder- Walder’s graphic memoir is about her ten years of figure skating and now much she hated it.

Release by Patrick Ness- A guy who is from a strict, religious family examines his past relationship to determine why he why’s unable to reciprocate the love given to him by a sweet guy named Linus and thinks an attachment to a guy who broke is heart might be the problem.

Kaleidoscope Song by Fox Benwell – Two girls, Neo and Tale, living in South Africa meet a bar and bond over the love of music. Possible trigger warning- addresses corrective rape.

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore (Oct 3)- You should read all of McLemore’s amazing books, but her newest is about three girl cousins who come from a family who tends to a magical garden. They find themselves falling for the same girl but fear a family curse where everyone they love disappears. Then a boy appears who has no idea who he is and Estrella, one of the cousins, tries to help him discover his identity.

Top Ten by Katie Cotugno (Oct 3)- Two best friends, Gabby and Ryan, are seniors whose platonic relationship becomes complicated as they begin to fall for each other and examine the top moments of their friendship over the past four years.

Not Your Villain by C.B. Lee (Oct 5) – Sequel to Not Your Sidekick. This book revolves are Bells, a trans guy with superpowers (he can shapeshift!) as he teams up with his friends who go on a mission to find the Resistance opposing a corrupt league of superheroes.

Echo After Echo by Amy Rose Capetta (Oct 10) – a girl named Zara wins the role of Echo at the Aurelia theater, but her dream role becomes a nightmare with mysterious deaths, dangerous legends, and an intense director. She finds herself falling for a name named Eli who works in lighting! Theater romance! Everyone who received an ARC of this book has said amazing things about it!

Like Water by Rebecca Podos (Oct 17) - Savannah returns to her small town to care for her father who has Huntington’s disease. She keeps herself occupied with hookups and a job at a waterpark dressed as a mermaid, and finds herself falling for a girl named Leigh. This is Podos’ debute novel and I’m impatiently waiting to read it.

A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo (Oct 17) – I fell in love with Lo’s novels after reading her queer Cinderella retelling, Ash. She’s written fantasy (Ash and Huntress) and science fiction (Adaption and Inheritance) and now she’s tackling a contemporary thriller . So Jess is secretly in love with her best friend Angie, who is completely oblivious. Angie hooks up a with a girl named Margo, a girl from boarding school whose social circle pulls Jess into some trouble.

Changing Colors by Elyse Springer (Oct 23) – I’m actually going to plug all of Springer’s romance novels because they’re amazing and I’ve read all of them. Changing Colors is the fourth book in her series Seasons of Love. But while you’re at it, you should check out White Out, featuring a gay couple, Thaw, about an ace girl who falls for a model/actress ice queen, Heat Wave, two bisexual girls have a no strings attached relationship and of course one of them develops feelings. There’s also Heels Over Head, which is about an Olympic hopeful diver who falls for one of his teammates.

Girl in a Bad Place by Kaitlin Ward (Oct 31) – Author of Bleeding Earth returns with another creepy tale with queer girls! Okay, so here’s the breakdown of her sophomore novel: So this girl, Cara, finds this commune in the mountains called Haven, and spends a lot of time there. Her best friend, Mailee, is pretty sure Haven is a cult but of course Cara won’t listen and decides to move in Haven permanently! Sounds like a horrible idea, right?

#LGBT literature #LGBT books #ya lgbt #queer YA #queer lit

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thefaultinourstarwhale · 6 years

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I got tagged in a book thing!

@heatherfield, lovely human that she is, tagged me to answer these questions, so heeeeeeeere we go!

1. Favourite book of all time?

And right off the bat, I have to choose between my children! Usually I say that JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte is my favorite classic, and PAPER TOWNS by John Green is my favorite by a living author. ELIZA AND HER MONSTERS by Francesca Zappia is a really, really close second for that title, though.

2. What are you currently reading?

I’m actually in a bit of a slump at the moment, mostly due to the fact that my life has been devoted to schoolwork over the last few weeks, and I haven’t had time to read. Before I stopped having time for anything that brought me joy, I was in the middle of Stacey Lee’s OUTRUN THE MOON and Margaret Rogerson’s AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS.

3. Have you ever considered writing a book?

Many times. I don’t imagine it will ever happen, but one never knows.

4. Favourite series?

AHAHAHAHA you expect me to choose ONE?

The A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES series by Sarah J. Maas

HIS FAIR ASSASSIN series by Robin LaFevers

THE LUNAR CHRONICLES by Marissa Meyer (which I maintain needs to be made into a Netflix series or something with Raphael Sbarge as Dr. Erland. My demands are few, really.)

5. Book you’d like to read?

TBH I’d LIKE to read all of the other ACOTAR books Sarah J. Maas has promised us but with which she has yet to bless us. I know there’s a somewhere-between-a-novella-and-a-novel coming out soon, but I need at least 1 600+ page monster detailing the happy endings of every single member of Feysand’s squad, and I need them now.

6. What’s on your Tbr pile?

Y’all act like this list isn’t 100 books long. The first two books I’ll probably read when I’m finished with the ones I’m reading now are ROSEMARKED by Livia Blackburn and FOOLISH HEARTS by Emma Mills because I’m way behind in my Uppercase selections. (That’s the monthly book box I subscribe to, and those books were November and December 2017’s picks). I also need A MILLION WORLDS WITH YOU by Claudia Gray in my life, because I read the first two in the series this year and I LIVE for the worldbuilding and Paul Markov. THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END by Adam Silvera looks really good, as well. Basically, I need to get caught back up in the world of YA. I’m studying to be a teen librarian because YA literature is AMAZING and bibilotherapy is a REAL THING, so I try to stay abreast of the latest releases while also playing catch-up on all the things I missed when I was pretending to be too grown-up for YA. (That was stupid.) If it’s a YA novel, it’s probably on my TBR. I’m not picky when it comes to subject matter.

7. Favourite fictional character(s)?

Arthur freaking Weasley from the Harry Potter series

Professor Bhaer from LITTLE WOMEN

Eliza Mirk from ELIZA AND HER MONSTERS

8. Favourite ship of all time?

Jo March and Professor Bhaer from LITTLE WOMEN.

9. Pick up the book closest to you, open page one and write down the first paragraph.

The closest book to me is a book I read for class, READING IN THE WILD by Donalyn Miller.

“As I began thinking about wild reading habits, I started at home. I have met many readers over the years, but the reader I know best is my husband, Don. For him, books are an accessory— an essential part of his daily checklist before leaving the house: keys, wallet, lunch, book. I tease him that he would take a book with him to check the mailbox if he could manage it.”

10. What’s the 1st fandom you were in?

The first fandom I remember is Harry Potter. I’ve been a Ravenclaw and a die-hard Arthur Weasley groupie since I was, like, 12.

Tagging: If you see this on your dash, consider yourself tagged, if you want! ❤️

#books #book tag #heatherfield

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firstdraftpod · 4 years

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Track Changes Bonus Episode: Panel Conversation With Abigail Hing Wen, author of Loveboat Taipei; Literary Agent Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary & Media; and Alvina Ling, VP and Editor in Chief at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

A conversation between an author, agent, and editor to cover the ins and outs of the publishing process. The panel features Abigail Hing Wen, debut author of Loveboat Taipei; agent Joanna Volpe, president and literary agent at New Leaf Literary & Media; and Alvina Ling, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at Little Brown Books for Young Readers (and co-host of the Book Friends Forever podcast).

This conversation was held as part of A Mighty Blaze’s YA Weekend, and many thanks to Joseph Moldover (author of Every Last Breath) and Jennifer de Leon (author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From) for all the help putting that entire celebration together.

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

This is My Brain In Love by I. W. Gregorio

Stephen Barbara, literary agent at Inkwell Management

Holly Black, The Cruel Prince series, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and many more (hear her First Draft interview here)

Laini Taylor, author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series and the Strange the Dreamer series (hear her First Draft interview here)

Brandy Colbert, author of The Voting Booth, The Only Black Girls in Town, Little & Lion, and more (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here, and her mailbag episode here)

Emily X. R. Pan, author of The Astonishing Color of After (listen to her First Draft interview here)

Samira Ahmed, author of Internment

Kirsten Pettit, Executive Editor at HarperChildren’s

Alvina Ling contributed to the Track Changes episode After the Book Deal: What Next?

Adam Silvera, author of They Both Die at the End, Infinity Son, and History is All You Left Me (hear his First Draft interview here)

Lea Salonga, singer, actress, and the voice of Jasmine in Disney’s animated Aladdin

Black Brother Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams

Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in writing for children’s and teens

Kathi Appelt, author of The Underneath and The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp

We Need Diverse Books

I want to hear from you!

Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998 or send an email to mailbag @ firstdraftpod dot com!

Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni

Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds; Leigh Bardugo, author of Ninth House and the Grishaverse series; Creator of Sex and the City Candace Bushnell; YouTube empresario and author Hank Green; Actors, comedians and screenwriters Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham; author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast Linda Holmes; Bestselling authors and co-hosts of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast, Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow; Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish and co-host of the Sciptnotes podcast; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Track Changes

If you’re looking for more information on how to get published, or the traditional publishing industry, check out the Track Changes podcast series, and sign up for the Track Changes weekly newsletter.

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Thanks again!

Listen now!

#Join host Sarah Enni every Tuesday for a quality hang with your favorite authors.

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greenisbestcolorfightme · 5 years

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History is All You Left Me

Adam Silvera

There’s an alternate universe where we’re a crew of three, so tight and unbreakable we don’t need a fourth to even it out for me. Jackson drives, you’re sitting shotgun, I’m yelling at you both to turn up the volume when our anthem comes on, and we all sing so loudly the radio doesn’t stand a chance against our slightly off-key, comfortable chorus.

Spoilers under the cut!

After reading They Both Die at the End, I came into this book with very high hopes and expectations. I can say that I enjoyed the former more than this one, and perhaps my expectations were a little too high. Even still, I feel that this book still has a valid place on the shelf.

This book is about Griffin, who’s ex, Theo, has passed away. He meets up with Theo’s current, Jackson, and the story kind of follows what their meeting is like and also shows us Griffin and Theo’s past. It focuses heavilly on grieving, jealousy, and mental health. In the words of a friend: “teen angst on teen angst on teen angst”. So if that’s your jam, this book will not let you down!

Form

Since I raved so much on the form of the last Adam Silvera book I read, They Both Die at the End, I think I should address that first. Half of this book is in the past, starting when Theo and Griffin come out to each other and start dating. The other half is in the present, focusing on the events after Theo’s death. Each chapter alternates between past and present. This form has it’s pros and cons: on one hand, we learn who Theo is while Griffin is grieving him, and it also helps hide secrets and twists that will be revealed later. Cons: the story doesn’t super benifit from having the past/present right next to each other. Usually double narratives mirror each other well, but I personally felt like this book didn’t quite have that parallel that made it powerful to switch back and forth.

Some wonderful things:

Griffin and Theo are super cute. Seeing their relationship grow is just precious, and we really feel Theo’s death that much more, since we grow to care about both of them and their relationship.

While we don’t have as many people of color in this book (Theo is described as blond, Jackson and Griffin with hazel eyes, so while there’s still a chance they could be non-white or a mixed race, it’s not made clear), there’s still a few. Wade is described as dark-skinned, and while I can’t remember any other specifics, I’m sure there were a few other minor characters that were PoC as well.

Also, the present parts are written to Theo, which is a really beautiful thing. I love the conversational tone inserted into Griffin’s thoughts; it adds another layer to the story. There were a few times that I forgot this though, so suddenly seeing a “you” on the page could be confusing, but for the most part, it worked really well.

Mental Health

Throughout the story, Griffin has a fixation on numbers. We’re told he has OCD. As someone who doesn’t have OCD, I don’t know how close it stands to accurarcy. However, by the end of the story, Griffin’s OCD is shown to be kind of a bit deal even though it takes a back seat and seems to be forgotten about at some points. Also, the only symptom of OCD he has is numbers and a need to be on the left side of people. Again, I don’t know how accurate any of this is, but I felt like it should have been a constant throughout the story, but a few times it just vanished and came back a few chapters later.

During Griffin’s scenes with Theo, we see Theo celebrating Griffin’s “quirks”. While I don’t think there’s anything wrong with loving someone where they are, the book makes it clear that Theo should have tried to help Griffin or at least help Griffin get to a place where he could move away from his OCD. I feel like this is a really sensitive topic, where there’s not one right way to support someone you love. I’d be really interested in learning how people with OCD feel about the book’s representation of OCD.

Also, a good part of this book is about grief and how different people deal with it, and I think it did so pretty successfully. Even if I would have liked to see a little bit further after the ending of this book, Griffin’s emotions are pretty well expressed.

Griffin

Griffin breaks up with Theo when Theo heads off to college. He then sleeps with Theo’s best friend, Wade, when Theo dates someone else. When Theo dies, Griffin shows up at the funeral and acts like he’s the current boyfriend and is hostile to Jackson. He then sleeps with Jackson. I don’t believe that Griffin is a bad person, but he does make bad decisions during this book, and doesn’t really understand the wieght of those actions. In all honesty, if someone did this in real life, we’d all be like “dude what is wrong with you”. I don’t know, but I had a hard time connecting to his character as he made these decisions.

I feel like Griffin starts to get his stuff together by the end of the novel, so I’m a little more okay with him. One issue that I had with Griffin was his bi-phobia. While he and Theo are dating, and Theo mentions that he’s still into girls, and Griffin freaks. After that moment, it’s not addressed again, and I wish it was.

Wade

So Wade is kind of the third wheel during the past sections. He’s Theo’s best friend, and while he claims he didn’t have a crush on Griffin, he totally did. It’s revealed toward the end of the novel that he and Griffin were hooking up after Griffin broke up with Theo. Also, not long after Theo’s death, Griffin starts dating Wade. I feel like Griffin was kind of using Wade (to get back at Theo for dating someone else, even though they’ve broken up, and then to help him cope after Theo’s death). I just really felt for Wade because he deserved better.

Girls.

Let’s talk about Veronika and Anika. Firstly, names. I thought they were twins or sisters, because these names are not only super uncommon, but they also end the same way. Jackson introduces them to Griffin as his friends, but then Veronika goes off on Jackson for being distant since dating Theo. Since this is shortly after Theo dies, any sympathy for Veronika is gone. Anyone who is going to pick a fight with someone who is grieving their boyfriend (and to make that fight about said boyfriend!) has no sensitivity. Veronika mentions that she’s going through a hard time because she broke up with her boyfriend after an abortion, which of course is hard, but in the face of Jackson’s pain, isn’t something she should shove in his face. There’s other ways they could have discussed this, in ways with the same impact. Veronika came off as really narcissistic, and Anika only had a few lines. This was really upsetting to have the only female characters (besides minor family members) be so heartless.

I definitely didn’t enjoy this book as much as They Both Die at the End, but I’m certainly going to check out more of Adam Silvera’s books in the future. He certainly knows how to craft a good story, even if this one wasn’t my cup of tea.

#history is all you left me #adam silvera #lgbt fiction

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