Shelf-Ish Reads: People Like Us, All Out & More

I’m a bibliophile, which means that my current Goodreads reading challenge goal is 100 books. It also means that at any given time, I’m reading multiple books, juggling a few different ones through a few different mediums. And my nightstand is never devoid of a stack of books ready to be read. Here are 5 books that are currently on my nightstand:

 

People Like Us by Dana Mele

I’m already a quarter of the way through Dana Mele’s debut novel. I originally picked it up because people were describing it as Pretty Little Liars with queer characters. It has an intriguing mystery that’s slowly unravelling, and shady characters with troubling pasts. I’m finding it a little difficult to connect with the main character, who seems to have few redeeming qualities so far. But I’m invested in the mystery. Plus, it’s set in a posh boarding school – which is one of my favourite kinds of settings.

 

All Out: The No Longer Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell

This is an anthology that I’ve been reading on and off for the past month. It features some of the most prominent queer YA writers, who have all come together to write historical fiction featuring queer characters. Considering that queer people are often left out of historical settings and stories – or, if they are featured, are often given horribly sad endings for the sake of ‘historical accuracy’ – it’s wonderful that this collection exists! It’s also an absolutely fantastic anthology, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every story I’ve read so far.

 

The One Who Wrote Destiny by Nikesh Shukla

I’ve been a fan of Nikesh Shukla ever since I came across The Good Immigrant. He’s been doing amazing work in the publishing industry, and helping marginalised people tell their stories. So of course, when I managed to get my hands on an advanced copy of his latest novel, I had to jump right in. It follows three generations of one family as they stumble through their lives. So far, The One Who Wrote Destiny is an absolutely stunning novel. Shukla’s prose is unsurprisingly beautiful. But what did surprise me about this book is that’s it’s honestly pretty funny at times – which you wouldn’t gauge from the blurb!

 

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Love, Simon is coming to the theatres in Ireland next week and I couldn’t be more excited about the movie! Since I absolutely flew through Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, and flew through the book in just a few hours, I knew I had to pick up Albertalli’s other book as soon as I could. Thankfully, the library didn’t make me wait for long to pick up a copy. It looks to be just as sweet and lighthearted as Simon, so I’m excited to dive in. It’s also somehow tied into Simon, if my Twitter sources are to be trusted!

Are you reading anything good at the moment? Let us know!