You Better Not Cry by Augusten Burroughs

You Better Not Cry by Augusten Burroughs
Stars: 3/5

Overall
This book is a combination of the bizarre, the sad, and the bitterly sweet. Starting in his childhood (skipping those Running With Scissors years), and ending as an adult, we follow Burroughs through some crazy holiday stories, which is no surprise to those familiar with Burroughs' other books.

While I enjoyed this book, it's definitely not my favorite, although it is a quaint (is that the right word?) collection. My favorite story of the bunch is definitely the last, which shows Burroughs and his partner facing the unimaginable for Christmas and overcoming themselves and their obstacles.

Burroughs' writing is good, like always, and his narrative voice remains strong as he wavers between amusing anecdote and heart-breaking reality. To readers not familiar with Burroughs' other works, these will feel like stories from the land of misfits with a pornographic twist (although the stories themselves are not pornographic). For his fans, these will be glimpses into his life, filling into more holes of his very thorough autobiographical(ish) books.

Just for You by Jet Mykles

Just for You by Jet Mykles
Stars: 3.5/5

Overall
When Justin sees Kevin, he professes his love on the sidewalk. Only Kevin is straight, right?

Wouldn't be much of a story if he were, huh?

The basic premise of this being a gay-for-you story doesn't actually focus much on the "huh, I like guys" part, which tends to be central in other stories of seen of this type. Instead, while everyone (Kevin included) is curious why Kevin suddenly is interested in Justin, he isn't going through a crisis over that. I felt it was refreshing that he didn't panic over that, and although his acceptance was strange, I think it worked with his personality. Though I still wonder why everyone focuses on him being gay when he's obviously still attracted to women, thus is bisexual. But aside from one mention toward the beginning, it doesn't get brought up again (bisexuals get the shaft so often in these stories).

This was a pleasant enough story with a cute premise and lots of humor in the beginning and the right amount of frustration at the end. You have to take the premise and some of the characters with a grain of salt, but it's worth the taste!

Strengths
The writing was solid and I especially like the characterizations of Justin and Kevin and how they were portrayed. Mykles created a nice dynamic that was mellow and easy (and then has the characters point it out, since it does seem too easy, which was a good trick to use). I liked some of the side characters (their friends and coworkers), and I'd love to see more of them (or have seen more of them), though not having it didn't detract from the story. It's the sign of a good story that I want more of the characters.

Weaknesses
I wasn't floored by the story, although it was funny and cute. Victor's dealings at the end kind of made me wrinkle my nose and go "really?" but it was within the suspension of disbelief. Otherwise, my mediocre rating is because this story didn't really call out to me and impress me. Good, but not great.

The Tourist by Clare London

The Tourist by Clare London
Stars: 3/5

Overall
Normally in reviews we talk about "head hopping" from a narrative perspective, but in the case of Ace, our narrator, we literally hop heads with him. Although he's a little pompous and self-centric, he's a bearable narrator and he grows (on the reader and as a character). In an interesting twist on the normal "switch perspective" trick, London uses Ace to not only change perspective, but also to retain some of the memories and feelings that were in his previous host so that he can use that information to further the relationship.

Strengths
Unique perspective. This was a really creative writing tool and London did a good job of writing four different perspectives, often two at a time. We have Ace constantly present, and then the different men he hops into. Initially we see him more separate from his hosts, but as he lingers in their bodies (and as the story needs to progress) we see him and his host as one and the same, although there is still a struggle as Ace cannot know all the deep secrets that the host is unwilling to admit to himself.

Writing. London did an excellent job of writing a difficult subject without doing too much or too little. The characters, while minimal in number, are very different in personality. This worked out just not from a plot point, but also because it allowed the narration to change dramatically depending on who was hosting Ace.

Weaknesses
Not necessarily a weakness, but Ace as a character bothered me. His personality rubbed me the wrong way, but not enough that I threw the book down and didn't continue. Some may find his sort of pompous attitude charming; it wasn't like he was a bad guy, he just didn't endear me, so I had difficulty getting into the book initially. Once we stepped back from his direct involvement and were more focused on the two other central character, I found myself able to relate better. He does improve as the story progresses, as well.

Some of the character developments, especially in Dan, left me curious, as I didn't feel as if the reader was given anything to be prepared for that particular turn. However, that said, I didn't feel like it was a random course of action either; it fit the story well and was established in the characters by the end—just the initial action surprised me.

Thirty Days by Shayla Kersten

Thirty Days by Shayla Kersten
Stars: 3/5

Overall
I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did, not that I didn't enjoy it. The characters, the plot, the situation, and their relationship all engaged me, but nothing drew me into the characters enough that I fell in love with them. I felt for Biton and the difficult situation he was in, and I definitely felt the pain he did when thinking of Erik, but I never felt his connection with Cavan (even while cheering for them to be together). (Side note, I was humdrum when reading this book [and several others], so take that into account with this review.)

Strengths
I liked the characters, especially Cavan. I wanted to wrap him up and take him home and nurse him back to health just like Biton was doing. He was beautiful, scarred, and broken, and it warmed my heart to see so many people care about him. I liked Biton and his earnest attempt to do what was best for Cavan. Four of the side characters (not the therapist) were understanding, considerate and I liked them and how they represented their part of their world. I didn't like the therapist, but I don't think I'm supposed to.

The writing was fairly good and kept me in the story. I'd be willing to give other stories by this author a chance, even if this one didn't win my heart completely.

Weaknesses
Oddly enough, although the seemingly random and inconsistent change in perspective normally bothers me, in this case I didn't mind. I felt Antonio was used just enough to show things from alternative perspectives, although I didn't feel the switch was completely necessary: What did the reader gain by seeing those flashes into his life?

Spoilers to follow, although nothing earth shattering
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Also, I would have liked to have seen more of Cavan's perspective, which probably added up to a page and a half total for the whole story. Our limited view inside his mind and the time jump left me unconvinced about Cavan's actual interest in Biton. (Not that I doubt that he is interested, but I didn't feel a connection. I didn't get excited about it. I said, "Aww, yay!" but was otherwise unmoved.)

I'm torn about whether to read the second story in the series. But if I come across it at a reasonable price, I'll definitely pick it up, as the premise interests me and I hope it explores the emotional/angsty conflict more.

Sprout by Dale Peck

Sprout by Dale Peck
Stars: 4/5

Overall
I both loved and hated this book--which may leave you wondering why I still gave it 4 stars. The short answer is that the book got under my skin, and any book that really gets under my skin and has me loving and hating characters (often the same character), has to rank higher than a 3. Maybe it's a 3.5 that I bumped to a 4. We'll say I liked the cover enough to do that.

Warning, some content below may be seen as spoilers

Our narrator, Sprout, is a fun guy to listen to and lead us through the story. He's honest (in a roundabout sort of way), funny, and tells plenty of anecdotes, many in the form of essays he writes for Mrs. M. He hasn't had the worst life, but he hasn't had the best one either. It's not really a surprise that he's a little unbalanced in some elements of his life. Isn't everyone? Even the other people in the story have issues...one's in the closet, one has delusions of becoming famous, two are alcoholics (at least one is especially), and one has an abusive father.

There are so many things wrong with what happens in this story (not technically, just morally). People are so extremely people that you can't help but love and hate them. You want Sprout to come out the winner because he's the hero of this narrative, but this isn't necessarily that type of story. That's something you'll have to decide for yourself.

One part that seemed technically wrong to me is the abuse. I felt like the school wouldn't handle it that way, even if the kids refuse to talk. It also made me want to know why Sprout never said anything, never tried to convince him to admit what was going on. Maybe it's part of the Teens Don't Talk About That sort of thing, and obviously some of it needed to happen to make the story progress, but it irked me a little.

The end left me frustrated, then thoughtful, then frustrated, then worried, then frustrated...and you get the idea. It makes me want to re-read it to understand something I must have missed. If you need a resolute and happy ending every time, look elsewhere. If you're willing to fly by the seat of your pants, at least this once, then give it a shot. You may find your happy ending after all.

Wishing on a Blue Star ed. by Kris Jacen

Wishing on a Blue Star ed. by Kris Jacen
Stars: 4/5

Overall
There is no way to rank this book, to judge it, to compare it to anything else. There are stories, some of them funny, some of them heart breaking (I'm looking at you Amy Lane). Between the stories (or perhaps the stories are in between) are blog posts following Patric Michael's experiences dealing with cancer and everything that goes with it.

This is a longer book as far as books in this genre go, and it took me a while to get through, one because I struggle with anthologies anyway, two because there are alot of heavy topics on this books and three, I'll be honest, I was reading alot of books at the time. I'm glad I continued through and finished it though. I'll be honest, I cried the last half an hour of reading.

Because my normal review style isn't appropriate, I'll be looking at the blog and the anthology separately.

Blog
Patric is a talented author and wrote some very lovely blog entries which illustrated his struggles, as well as some other entries that he wrote during that time that lightened the mood. Some of them were very difficult to read and some of them hit me over the head and told me to wake up and live your life. Sometimes they were one in the same. Sometimes they were sad, even if that wasn't their purpose. I'm glad they were shuffled in with stories because I couldn't have just read the blog straight through without going a little crazy from empathic stress!

Patric chose to print the blogs as they originally ran, so no editing was done, which made me twitch sometimes, but knowing about it ahead of time saved me from being growl-y. I don't know Patric, and I've only read one of his stories, but I have a strange (and false) sense of knowing him. Maybe it's more just knowing myself more now. I don't know, and I don't know if I'll ever have a chance to figure out which it was.

Anthology
As anthologies go, this was fairly strong. Some were hit, some were misses, but nothing terrible. "When Angels Fall" by ZA Maxfield and "Dreams of a Terrible Brightness" by Amy Lane were two of my favorites. I'm fairly certain there were others I enjoyed as I went, but those two jumped out the most to me. "When Angels Fall" was the happy ending I needed and "Dreams of a Terrible Brightness" (the one I wept over) was the horrible honesty I needed.

This is a free book. Maybe it will help you understand others going through similar experiences. Maybe it will help you in your own struggles. Maybe it will just make you pause and consider all the wonderful things you have in life without heavily guilting you into it. I recommend everyone take the time to check this out.

Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy

Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy
Stars: 4.5/5

Overall
Not being what one would call a sport's fan (I'm a fan of sports, but I'd rather be playing...), my first glance at Tigers and Devils had me going "Well, I'm sure it's good, just not for me." But after hearing enough good reviews, I gave it a shot and am glad I did. While the sport and its surrounding fan-base play a pivotal role to the story, the scenes aren't heavy with description of the sport (which is good, since I wasn't familiar with it at all, aside from some wiki browsing).

Kennedy explores a real relationship being built from the ground up, dealing with everything from misunderstandings to well-meaning friends and the complexities of one person in the relationship not being 'out.' While Simon can sometimes be a "wanker," he never crossed the line of being obnoxious to me, and since everything is told from his perspective, we see all his insecurities laid out in text (aka, this story probably would not have worked from Declan's perspective). This story is sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet, but overall satisfying.

The only reason this story didn't rank a full 5 stars is because while I enjoyed it, it did nothing to WOW me.

Strengths
Characters. We have two opposites attracting: Declan, handsome, confident and suave (most the time), meets Simon, reclusive, insecure, and "average," at a party Simon's friends dragged him to. Simon is brutally honest, jaded and self-deprecating to the point that he believes what he's saying more often than not. But he's funny, witty, and a nice guy once you get past the spikes. Declan is down to earth and nice, which is rare in his field, insecure pretty much only in relationships, and patient (really, really patient). They clash, but only in a surface tension way until their personalities find out their puzzle pieces were just facing the wrong way and then click...they balance one another out. NOT that it stops problems from happening.

Realism. While this story hits upon several "cliches" (opposites attracting, one in the closet and one out, person with tons of money and one not), it never falls into a cliche story. It holds true to realism, sometimes painfully as people get upset for reasons that aren't what they're saying they're upset about and others don't apologize when they know they've been wrong (OK, those are mostly the same person). There are multiple points where a happy ending could occur, but it doesn't because the author knows the characters haven't learned better and that's what this story is about--character growth, not romance--although the romance is the key to growth (but not the sole factor). It lends to the realism that the happy ending doesn't happen when we think it will, because our happy times are often followed at some point by unhappy times.

Weaknesses
Length. I enjoyed the length, but I could see some people struggling with it, especially since it wasn't always a fast-paced story. This book doesn't function off of action-plot as much as it functions off emotional and psychological plot as we watch the development of the relationship, but also the evolution of Simon from a bloke with two real friends to a man surrounded by a team of people. Because of the minimal action-plot, some people may feel this is slow-paced and boring. I disagree, but I enjoy character studies.

Sex. Again, I didn't see this as a weakness, but I thought I'd say it...there is no, or very little, explicit sex. I could only imagine how long the story would have been if he had included it and I didn't feel like I was missing out at all. It was actually rather refreshing, but if you want hot action, this isn't the book to pick up.

Velvet Glove, Vol 5 by Sean Michael

Velvet Glove, Vol 5 by Sean Michael
Stars: 3/5

Overall
I felt like this book didn't live up to its ultimate potential and that the last story especially was so sex heavy that the underlying story was lost. Maybe I'm reading these for the wrong reason, but all the other stories satisfied my needs. (Um, you know, with plot.)

Three to Heal
I was a little disappointed with this story. We're given Jean, who is scared, mostly blind, and still coping with the accident he survived. He's set up with an established pair, Noel and Richard, who are happy to accept this quiet man into their lives, even if none of them were really expecting it. I wanted more exploration of Jean's issues, I suppose, although that's my only complaint. I would love to see Noel and Richard's back story!

Rock Stars and Size Queens
This was my favorite of the three, even though I wouldn't really consider Minuet a 'size queen'. Size Queen connotes prissy and spoiled to me, and Minuet is not that! He also never had a "That's not big enough" moment, which is classic Size Queen. Maybe I'm stereotyping, but I felt Minuet was unjustly named, even if that's what they call him--once--in the book.

I liked the dynamic of the two pairs and how all four interact as they try to find balance in their new lives.

Fits Like a Glove
I liked the story here, the look into an uber top who has a secret that only Hercules can take care of, and the eventual resolution. However, the sheer amount of sex just ... well it kind of bored me. Maybe it was just my state of mind, because I know that some of the scenes were there to show the growth of the pair in their relationship and I know their time together was limited. So if you want hot and heavy sex, this is the story to turn to.

talking in the dark by Billy Merrell

talking in the dark: a poetry memoir by Billy Merrell
Stars: 4/5

Overall
This book of poems, which all link together to tell a story of a life (or at least a life in progress), resonated with me. Not everything spoke to me, but there were poems and lines that caught me especially, and I hope it's not just because the author is my age (born the year before me). I took it out from the library and I think I'll purchase a used copy when I get around to it.

It's not long (136 pages of poetry), but there is a full story in these poems, although there are large gaps (and some time jumps) that left me wondering a little. Overall though the story itself isn't important so much as the emotions behind it--mainly, love. Love of our parents, our siblings, our friends, our lovers. Love gone sour, fresh love, bitter love, one-sided love, and loveless. I don't I could have found this at a more perfect time in my life.

I'll never look at peeling the labels off of bottles the same.