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fourthleafluckart · 1 month

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"Don't come around looking at me with those big eyes. They betray you and all of your terrible yearnings."

(Psshhh, as if Gabriel could do anything but love Henry)

The second half of a tarot card for My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron

#my dear henry #kalynn bayron #queer book draw challenge #qbdc #queer books #queer romance #diverse book fanart #lgbt books #book art #id in alt text #2bdc

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losercade · 2 months

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Fellas we need to have a chat about the book My Dear Henry (THE JEKYLL AND HYDE REMIX) because I don't see ANYONE talking about it and I'm actually in love

spoilers sort of (?) under cut just incase you don't want to see anything about the book before reading it!! ^_^ (please read it. It's so good)

^ LIKE HELLO??? HOW. HOW ARE WE NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS. THIS IS ADORABLE

^ ENFIELD? ENFIELD MY BOY? HES HERE. GUYS HES HERE!!!

^ LANYON GAMBILING? HELL YEAH HE'D DO THAT

Also GOD that ending was amazing! It was so adorable! It was SO well written and I cannot believe it ended. God.

Lanyons death was also so well written! Like I was so close to crying, hello?? And his funeral! They WROTE A FUNERAL. Oh my god.

The characters seem so much more fleshed out and motivations make sense and oh my God it was so amazing!

#the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde #strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde #my dear henry

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maleaser · 7 months

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I've only just heard of this adaptation! Has anyone else read it??

#I'd love to hear your thoughts #the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde #my dear Henry #Jekyll and Hyde #Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde #Adaptations #Book

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aroaessidhe · 4 months

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read in 2023: retellings or reimagining/sequels

Wander The Night - Midsummer Night's Dream

Hamra and the Jungle of Memories - Little Red Riding Hood

The Water Outlaws - Water Margin

My Dear Henry - Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

Our Hideous Progeny - Frankenstein

Spear - Percival and the Holy Grail

The Death I Gave Him - Hamlet

Teach The Torches to Burn - Romeo & Juliet

Everyone’s Thinking It - Midsummer Night's Dream

A Crown So Cursed - Alice in Wonderland

Angels Before Man - The Bible

The Weight of Blood - Carrie

#read in 2023 #‘the bible i guess’ abavsg #this is out of. about 22 retellings I read?#''retellings'' in a vague sense for some #wander the night #my dear henry #teach the torches to burn #the death i gave him

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stardustandrockets · 10 months

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Continuing along with my rainbow book recs with the color blue. I've read all of these except My Dear Henry. Each one has a special place in my heart.

Red White and Royal Blue was one of the first adult romances I read. Bookish and the Beast is my favorite of the Once Upon a Con series. Heartstopper is not only adorably wholesome, but it tackles questioning your sexuality, eating disorders, mental health, and so much more. Kiss Her Once for Me touches on liminal spaces and falling in love in those spaces. Check, Please! is a graphic novel about love and baking and hockey.

What's your favorite blue book?

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aurorawest · 8 months

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Reading update

Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault - DNF

I have to admit I didn't give this one much of a chance. I got it in a Rainbow Crate so I felt compelled to at least try to read it, but it's just not my kind of thing, and I DNFed at page 4. Really didn't like the writing style.

Idol Minds by KT Salvo - 2.75/5 stars

Almost DNFed this when I was about 50 pages from the end because it very abruptly lost my attention. I never really liked either of the main characters so I didn't care about their breakup or HEA. Also the sex scenes were weirdly short but also repetitive, somehow?

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse - 3.75/5 stars

I will be completely honest and admit that I could remember almost nothing of the first book when I started reading this the other day. I remembered that I really liked it, and that was about it. This one was...good?

Ok, so, let me see if I can put this into words. During the pandemic, authors kept writing, right? Especially if they were under contract to produce a series. And for some authors, that was fine. There is no discernible difference in their work. And then other authors, it's like...the anxiety brain fog got baked into their writing. There's nothing technically wrong with it. Things are happening. The characters are still engaging. And yet...sometimes it just feels like...things are happening. Like the author couldn't really process the emotions of the things happening, and thus couldn't really write feeling into the work? So it becomes just Things Happening. And I know how I should feel about it, but I'm not feeling it. Like when the dose of your antidepressant is too high, and you just have no feelings? It's sort of like that.

On the Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton - DNF

There's nothing wrong with this book, tbh—it's well written with an interesting setting, characters with depth, and a theme that should, in theory, interest me. That said, I just wasn't feeling it. I won this book from my local bookstore and it's the sort of literary fiction that I read all the time in my teens and early twenties, even though I never really enjoyed it? I'm a genre fiction kid, as it turns out.

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll and Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron - 4/5 stars

I really really liked this, and I probably would have rated it higher, except it fell into the trap that a lot of queer retellings of classics do: in being forced to hew to a plot line from a century or more ago, a lot of story and character depth has to be jettisoned. This book did a much better job than The Henchman of Zenda by KJ Charles, but I still found myself wanting a more modern storytelling style. Overall it was really good, though.

Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer - 4.75/5 stars

I hated Less for most of the time I was reading it (but it didn't bore me, so that's something). When I got to the end and realized it was a romance, I ended up loving it, but I had to split the difference in my rating, haha. This is the direct sequel and I loved it. It's laugh out loud funny (which I did not find Less to be most of the time) and melancholy, but at its heart is also a love story.

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain - 4/5 stars

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske - 5/5 stars (reread)

I loved it even more on the reread. I would die for Edwin and Robin. I'm crazy excited for A Power Unbound.

Hoarfrost by Jordan L Hawk - 4.25/5 stars

Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda - 3.5/5 stars

I never know how to rate thrillers because honestly, they aren't my genre. This was part of the batch of books I won at trivia from my local bookstore. It was good in that it held my attention and was entertaining (and a bit creepy), but like, I don't know that I'll tell people that they simply must read it. But yeah, I read it in a day, so it's a quick read.

Spell Bound by FT Lukens - DNF

Ugh. Reads like my fantasy epic I was writing when I was 14 (see also: TJ Klune's Verania series). When I'm mentally editing the book as I'm reading, you know that's a bad sign. The first chapter could have been like, 2 pages (instead it was 18). Here's how Chapter 3, which introduces the other main character begins: Summer was such a waste of time and effort. Spring was okay. Autumn was the best. Winter wasn't bad.

Okay???? Great??????? Why do I care? I read for another page after that. Lukens is an author I really, really want to like, but the last two books I've read by them are just obnoxious. I could forgive The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths and Magic because it was one of their first books (it might have been their first?), but this...is not their first book, yet that's what it reads like. I suspect this is a manuscript they wrote a while ago, shelved, and brought it back out now that they're having success.

Heart of Dust by HL Moore - 5/5 stars

You know when you read a book that's so good, and you can't figure out why the hell you had to stumble across it by going down some algorithm recommendation rabbit hole? This is one of those books. Gritty and unique sci-fi setting, a backdrop of labor rights, aching gay mutual pining? Please read this.

#baker thief #idol minds #fevered star #rebecca roanhorse #reading tag #on the rooftop #my dear henry #kalynn bayron #less is lost #andrew sean greer #a marvellous light #freya marske #such a quiet place #megan miranda #spell bound #heart of dust #hl moore

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richincolor · 1 year

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With six books out this week, we've got a little something for everyone! Which of these are on your TBR list?

In Limbo: A Graphic Memoir by Deb JJ Lee First Second

Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee knows she's different. Ever since her family emigrated from South Korea to the United States, she's felt her Otherness. For a while, her English isn't perfect. None of her teachers can pronounce her Korean name. Her face and her eyes—especially her eyes—stand out. As the pressures of high school ramp up, friendships change and end, and everything gets harder. Even home isn't a safe place, as fights with her mom escalate. Deb is caught in a limbo, with nowhere to go, and her mental health plummets.

But Deb is resilient. She discovers art and self-care, and gradually begins to start recovering. And during a return trip to South Korea, she realizes something that changes her perspective on her family, her heritage, and herself.

This stunning debut graphic memoir features page after page of gorgeous, evocative art, perfect for Tillie Walden fans. It's a cross section of the Korean-American diaspora and mental health, a moving and powerful read in the vein of Hey, Kiddo and The Best We Could Do. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron Feiwel Friends

London, 1885. Gabriel Utterson, a 17-year-old law clerk, has returned to London for the first time since his life— and that of his dearest friend, Henry Jekyll—was derailed by a scandal that led to his and Henry's expuslion from the London Medical School. Whispers about the true nature of Gabriel and Henry's relationship have followed the boys for two years, and now Gabriel has a chance to start again.

But Gabriel doesn't want to move on, not without Henry. His friend has become distant and cold since the disastrous events of the prior spring, and now his letters have stopped altogether. Desperate to discover what's become of him, Gabriel takes to watching the Jekyll house.

In doing so, Gabriel meets Hyde, a a strangely familiar young man with white hair and a magnetic charisma. He claims to be friends with Henry, and Gabriel can't help but begin to grow jealous at their apparent closeness, especially as Henry continues to act like Gabriel means nothing to him.

But the secret behind Henry's apathy is only the first part of a deeper mystery that has begun to coalesce. Monsters of all kinds prowl within the London fog—and not all of them are out for blood... -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Chloe and the Kaishao Boys by Mae Coyiuto Putnam

Chloe is officially off the waitlist at USC, and thus one step closer to realizing her dream of becoming an animator in the United States. But before she leaves home, her auntie insists on planning a traditional debut for Chloe’s eighteenth birthday (think sweet sixteen meets debutante ball). To make matters worse, her father, intent on finding Chloe the perfect escort for the party, keeps setting her up on one awkward kaishao—or arranged date—after another. But . . . why does her dad suddenly care so much about her love life? And what happens when she actually starts to fall for one of the guys, only to have to leave at the end of the summer? -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia Disney-Hyperion

Fifteen-year-old Rhea and her best friends, Zeke and Malachi, are South L.A. born and raised, but a recent wave of gentrification has been transforming the place that they call home. When an eviction notice from a greedy landlord threatens to split up the crew, Rhea and her friends manipulate social media to form a fake gang in hopes of scaring off developers. Their scheme appears to work at first… until a murder is pegged on the nonexistent gang. Yikes.

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD is a love letter to communities of color everywhere, a middle finger to the destructive powers of gentrification, and a hilarious adventure about three teens who have the best intentions, if not always the best solutions. Perfect for fans of Tiffany Jackson's Let Me Hear a Rhyme and Netflix's On My Block, this is an uproarious novel about power, friendship, and what really makes a neighborhood. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Study Break: 11 College Tales from Orientation to Graduation Edited by Aashna Avachat Feiwel Friends

College...the best time, the worst time, and something in between.

What do you do when orientation isn't going according to your (sister's) detailed plans? Where do you go when you're searching for community in faith? How do you figure out what it means that you're suddenly attracted to your RA? What happens when your partner for your last film project is also your crush and graduation is quickly approaching?

Told over the course of one academic year, this collection of stories set on the same fictional campus features students from different cultures, genders, and interests learning more about who they are and who they want to be. From new careers to community to (almost) missed connections — and more — these interconnected tales explore the ways university life can be stressful and confusing and exciting and fulfilling.

Gen Z contributors include Jake Maia Arlow, Arushi Avachat, Boon Carmen, Ananya Devarajan, Camryn Garrett, Christina Li, Racquel Marie, Oyin, Laila Sabreen, Michael Waters, and Joelle Wellington. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Jump by Brittney Morris Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Influence is power. Power creates change. And change is exactly what Team Jericho needs.

Jax, Yas, Spider, and Han are the four cornerstones of Team Jericho, the best scavenger hunting team in all of Seattle. Each has their own specialty: Jax, the puzzler; Yas, the parkourist; Spider, the hacker; and Han, the cartographer. But now with an oil refinery being built right in their backyard, each also has their own problems. Their families are at risk of losing their jobs, their communities, and their homes.

So when The Order, a mysterious vigilante organization, hijacks the scavenger hunting forum and concocts a puzzle of its own, promising a reward of influence, Team Jericho sees it as the chance of a lifetime. If they win this game, they could change their families’ fates and save the city they love so much. But with an opposing team hot on their heels, it’s going to take more than street smarts to outwit their rivals. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

#in limbo #my dear henry #chloe and the kaishao boys #there goes the neighborhood #study break #the jump #new releases

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pridepages · 6 months

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Shame: My Dear Henry

I just finished My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron. I have thoughts...

Here there be spoilers!

Monsters are forces of chaos. The shape our imagination gives to that we deem unnatural.

Stories tell us what we intuitively sense: everyone's got something monstrous within. We can fight it. We can give in to it...

Or we can try to rip it out.

Famously, that's what Stevenson's poor, doomed Dr. Henry Jekyll tried to do. He wanted to invent a miracle of science, something to purge what he deemed monstrous in his nature...only to end up splitting in two.

Kaylnn Bayron's remixed take on Stevenson introduces us to a different Henry Jekyll. One who seeks not to purge himself of a general 'evil,' but a specific one...

His queerness.

There's nothing groundbreaking in the idea that being gay has been seen as 'unnatural' or 'monstrous.' Today, just as they did centuries ago, politicians and preachers pound their pulpits and rant about how we are a sickness, a curse. Some are loud and ranting. Some are hissing whispers. But whether they are drowning our voices or twisting our thoughts...

Some of us start to believe them.

"How do you not feel the weight of it?" Henry demands of his love, Gabriel Utterson. "How can you look at me like that and not feel shame?"

Quite easily, Gabriel confesses, because he "hadn't been trying to be subtle about my feelings for Henry. I hadn't been trying to be boastful, either. I was only trying to live."

Living without shame is something that's easy to prescribe and much, much harder to practice. Gabriel may not "think we should measure ourselves by what the world thinks of us," but living out and proud isn't a simple or safe thing to do in most places. Most of us still find ourselves making compromises just so we can survive.

The frustration of living every day consciously strangling who you are is exhausting.

No wonder some of us start to believe we would excise our queerness, like some sort of defect, just to feel a little lighter.

Therein lies the genius of Bayron's reinterpretation, because at the novel's core lies the same message as the original. Henry Jekyll doesn't find his miracle cure. Instead, he breaks himself into two people--both of whom are less than he was.

Queerness was part of Henry's self. In trying to 'fix' himself...all he did was break himself.

And, in the end, it is queer love that reminds him who he is. It is his love--his Gabriel--who saves him:

"You were whole, Henry. And I loved you with my entire heart. You were enough just as you were and we are enough as we are---right here, right now."

It is the message that sometimes we all need to hear. When we must keep this secret self locked away in a heavy heart, let us remember that "We can exist. And we do. We endure because we have no other choice."

We do not accept that we are unnatural. We do not accept that we are monstrous. And we do not accept that we are wrong.

The only unnatural thing about us is the shame that keeps us fractured.

And I like to hope that even those of us living in pieces can find the self-love that heals us whole.

#my dear henry #kalynn bayron #mlm #gay #lgbt reads #queer lit

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redwiccanrobin · 2 months

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Currently reading; My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron.

#Hailz is a reader #currently reading #queer books #my dear Henry #kalynn bayron

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daniellesreadingnook · 4 months

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My bookish Christmas gifts!! So excited!

#danielle's reading nook #booklr #the ruined #renee ahdieh #my dear henry #kalynn bayron

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nii-chan-tamer · 1 year

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#my dear henry #jekyll and hyde #book #books a million #booksamillion

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fourthleafluckart · 1 month

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This QBDC: My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron

Another one of the Remixed Classics, My Dear Henry explores an alternate version of Jekyll and Hyde where a young Black medical student in victorian London undergoes some concerning changes, and the fella who loves him is determined to find their happiness together.

Next QBDC: My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron (the other side of the tarot card heheh)

#my dear henry #remixed classics #kalynn bayron #queer book draw challenge #qbdc #2bdc #diverse book fanart #queer books #queer romance #lgbt books #book art #id in alt text

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curlyhairedbibliophile · 2 years

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Cover Art | My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron

A teen boy tries to discover the reason behind his best friend’s disappearance—and the arrival of a mysterious and magnetic stranger—in misty Victorian London, in Kalynn Bayron’s My Dear Henry, a gothic YA remix of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, sixth in the Remixed Classics series. London, 1885. Gabriel Utterson, a 17-year-old law clerk, has returned to London for the first time since his life— and that of his dearest friend, Henry Jekyll—was derailed by a scandal that led to his and Henry’s expulsion from the London Medical School. Whispers about the true nature of Gabriel and Henry’s relationship have followed the boys for two years, and now Gabriel has a chance to start again. But Gabriel doesn’t want to move on, not without Henry. His friend has become distant and cold since the disastrous events of the prior spring, and now his letters have stopped altogether. Desperate to discover what’s become of him, Gabriel takes to watching the Jekyll house. In doing so, Gabriel meets Hyde, a a strangely familiar young man with white hair and a magnetic charisma. He claims to be friends with Henry, and Gabriel can’t help but begin to grow jealous at their apparent closeness, especially as Henry continues to act like Gabriel means nothing to him. But the secret behind Henry’s apathy is only the first part of a deeper mystery that has begun to coalesce. Monsters of all kinds prowl within the London fog—and not all of them are out for blood…

Release date | Mar 7, 2023 Goodreads

#my dear henry: a jekyll & hyde remix #my dear henry #remixed classics #kalynn bayron #book cover art #book cover reveal #retellings #lgbt books #dr. jekyll & mr. hyde #black authors #bipoc authors #booklr #bookblr

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itachi86 · 9 months

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“Mr. Guest looked dumbfounded. “Slavery was abolished in Britain by 1833 and slavery-like apprenticeships were finished in 1840.”

“I think Sir Carew knew that as well as anyone,” I said.

“Knew, didn’t care, and still found a way to do it.” He rolled his eyes and tossed his spectacles down on the table. “Do you want a real job? With wages? Where you don’t have some beastly man glowering at you all day?” ‘

#book things #my dear henry #dialogue #i like this mr guest guy too #him insulting that carew dude

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aroaessidhe · 1 year

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2023 reads // twitter thread

My Dear Henry

gothic YA reimagining of Jekyll & Hyde

a gay Black boy in 1885 London trying to discover why the best friend he loves is suddenly pulling away

#My Dear Henry #My dear henry: a jekyll & hyde remix #aroaessidhe 2023 reads #i thought this was rly good overall! I think an interesting take on the source material #(…..as someone who knows not much about the source material LMAO)#it’s a liiiittle frustrating to read the entire plot being him trying to figure out what’s going on when we the reader already know hes the #same person #I know that any other retelling of this could go into stigmatising DID territory and it def went in a different direction #which was. oof. pretty tragic tbh #i would love to read the author;s note it wasnt in the audiobook

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stardustandrockets · 10 months

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June Reading Wrap-Up

I ended up reading 10 books this month. Definitely more than I would have expected if you asked me on June 1st. It does help that I listened to four audiobooks over the course of as many days.

Every book I read this month (except The Way of the Househusband) was queer. I read queer year round, but I always pay special attention to make sure my #PrideMonth reads are especially queer.

What was your favorite book this month?

Books read:

• Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu

• The Way of the Househusband vol 8 by Kousuke Oono

• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

• Stealing a Thief’s Heart by C.L. Cattano

• The Devouring Wolf by Natalie C. Parker

• The Princess and the Grilled Cheese by Deya Muniz

• The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon (reread)

• The Fae Keeper by H.E. Edgmon

• My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron

• Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee

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