ugh mel you're incredible and also so much of this is massively massively relatable-- the self-consciousness on talking about craft (retweet! i am but an enthusiastic and occasionally eloquent reader! i have no laurels to rest on), the endearing too-muchness of mcquiston's writing (I think about this often!), the reading of hooks, who I admire a lot! (have you read judith butler's essay Gender is Burning, which does a lovely little critique of hooks' terfy critique of Paris is Burning?).
Re: mcquiston specifically- something I'm mulling over is the degree to which confining Jane in the subway feels like an authorial choice not-divorced from mcquiston's whiteness. I liked the book a lot and its hopeful spirit, but it struck me that jane's removal from the narrative in such a way feels so... similar to the other stereotypes and archetypes of asian women and non-men in media. sought after, appealing, but passive (not submissive! would not mistake jane for being submissive!) in stories that are ostensibly about them but probably more about how white people desire them.
anyways, I, too, love mess. thanks for sharing your thoughts <3
Love this! I migrated over from your TikTok and really enjoyed getting a reading update in this form. Also this is super random, but if you haven’t watched the Magic Mike trilogy recently, I’d recommend watching it in the context of The Will to Change. My sister brought up that book when we went to see the third one for Valentines Day and I can’t stop thinking about it. I really think those movies are saying a lot of cool shit about masculinity and vulnerability and community and labor. And they’re just really fun to watch. Anyway, thanks for writing this!
Yay!! love to read this and your updates! Silver in the Wood sounds very intriguing and I’m always a sucker for people living alone in the woods since that’s a goal of mine as well :)
As always I appreciate your detail into The Will to Change and often wonder if I’ll be alive when the type of approach to masculinity you outline will occur as I definitley want it to
Love getting updates on what you are currently reading- it inspires me to make some more headway in my own TBR. I read One Last Stop and feel similarly about it, though no one else captures the euphoria of a good party quite as well as Mcquiston.
The Will To Change is also on my list, though I’ve only read parts of it so far. But I want to read the rest as a companion to, of all things, The Magic Mike movie trilogy, which I recently watched all of and they kind of blew my mind as portrayal of non-toxic masculinity. So yeah! Anyway, really appreciate you continuing to share your thoughts, on any platform that works for you.
One Last Stop was one of the first queer romances I read, and I really enjoyed it at the time but couldn't put my finger on why I didn't love it - you're right it is trying to do SO much it feels overcrowded! In my opinion it's a rare romance novel that actually needs to be >400 pages, and this wasn't one of them. (I think A Lady for a Duke used its length a lot better, for example.)
Glad to hear you enjoyed Silver in the Wood, it's also one of my favorites - Tesh's debut novel Some Desperate Glory just got released, and I'm looking forward to seeing if her character work is as lovely in a space opera setting...
Very casual imo!! I liked your point about One Last Stop doing too much. <spoiler> The roommates really stole the show for me, so much so that I really had doubts about the main couple getting together — which is never in doubt in a romance, which this at least somewhat marketed itself as. And even then, was that the happy ending for Jane? I have my doubts. Not seeing the messiness of the real world play out felt abrupt to me. Too neat indeed.</spoiler>
Silver in the Wood was my first foray into period gay romances, and it remains one of my favorite stories to this day. I hope whatever I read next will be nearly as good! Even though in real life I have tended to hate the countryside, the smells, the dullness of rural work; Tesh adds so much love and life to the woods that I couldn't help but nostalgically long to be there, go off the grid, adopt a cat and feel spiritually connected to the trees (same thing happened with God's Own Country so maybe I do need to heal my relationship with nature). Your notes on her character work are spot on! I'm glad you read and liked it.
And honestly, though I'm still excited to read The Will To Change soon, I'm disappointed to hear hooks isn't great with video games; I wanted to eventually recommend it to my little straight brother who is a big gamer. Also, I remember reading something on tumblr the other day (wish I could link it, I remember it was reblogged by trans author Jay Edidin) about how some women ridicule men for having nerdy interests and seek to outright destroy their husbands' video game consoles, action figures, miniatures, etc. I think that links directly with this idea of men never showing vulnerability; to certain people, we aren't allowed to be childish either. You see it with the Andrew Tate types mocking people for watching Star Wars, for example. Of course, straight men in geek communities online have shown how disgustingly misogynistic they can be, so it's a nuanced conversation. IDK.
ugh mel you're incredible and also so much of this is massively massively relatable-- the self-consciousness on talking about craft (retweet! i am but an enthusiastic and occasionally eloquent reader! i have no laurels to rest on), the endearing too-muchness of mcquiston's writing (I think about this often!), the reading of hooks, who I admire a lot! (have you read judith butler's essay Gender is Burning, which does a lovely little critique of hooks' terfy critique of Paris is Burning?).
Re: mcquiston specifically- something I'm mulling over is the degree to which confining Jane in the subway feels like an authorial choice not-divorced from mcquiston's whiteness. I liked the book a lot and its hopeful spirit, but it struck me that jane's removal from the narrative in such a way feels so... similar to the other stereotypes and archetypes of asian women and non-men in media. sought after, appealing, but passive (not submissive! would not mistake jane for being submissive!) in stories that are ostensibly about them but probably more about how white people desire them.
anyways, I, too, love mess. thanks for sharing your thoughts <3
Love this! I migrated over from your TikTok and really enjoyed getting a reading update in this form. Also this is super random, but if you haven’t watched the Magic Mike trilogy recently, I’d recommend watching it in the context of The Will to Change. My sister brought up that book when we went to see the third one for Valentines Day and I can’t stop thinking about it. I really think those movies are saying a lot of cool shit about masculinity and vulnerability and community and labor. And they’re just really fun to watch. Anyway, thanks for writing this!
Yay!! love to read this and your updates! Silver in the Wood sounds very intriguing and I’m always a sucker for people living alone in the woods since that’s a goal of mine as well :)
As always I appreciate your detail into The Will to Change and often wonder if I’ll be alive when the type of approach to masculinity you outline will occur as I definitley want it to
Love getting updates on what you are currently reading- it inspires me to make some more headway in my own TBR. I read One Last Stop and feel similarly about it, though no one else captures the euphoria of a good party quite as well as Mcquiston.
The Will To Change is also on my list, though I’ve only read parts of it so far. But I want to read the rest as a companion to, of all things, The Magic Mike movie trilogy, which I recently watched all of and they kind of blew my mind as portrayal of non-toxic masculinity. So yeah! Anyway, really appreciate you continuing to share your thoughts, on any platform that works for you.
Always a pleasure reading you!
i enjoyed this! it made me want to pick some of these up!!!
I am 100% here for the bookish content!
One Last Stop was one of the first queer romances I read, and I really enjoyed it at the time but couldn't put my finger on why I didn't love it - you're right it is trying to do SO much it feels overcrowded! In my opinion it's a rare romance novel that actually needs to be >400 pages, and this wasn't one of them. (I think A Lady for a Duke used its length a lot better, for example.)
Glad to hear you enjoyed Silver in the Wood, it's also one of my favorites - Tesh's debut novel Some Desperate Glory just got released, and I'm looking forward to seeing if her character work is as lovely in a space opera setting...
Very casual imo!! I liked your point about One Last Stop doing too much. <spoiler> The roommates really stole the show for me, so much so that I really had doubts about the main couple getting together — which is never in doubt in a romance, which this at least somewhat marketed itself as. And even then, was that the happy ending for Jane? I have my doubts. Not seeing the messiness of the real world play out felt abrupt to me. Too neat indeed.</spoiler>
Silver in the Wood was my first foray into period gay romances, and it remains one of my favorite stories to this day. I hope whatever I read next will be nearly as good! Even though in real life I have tended to hate the countryside, the smells, the dullness of rural work; Tesh adds so much love and life to the woods that I couldn't help but nostalgically long to be there, go off the grid, adopt a cat and feel spiritually connected to the trees (same thing happened with God's Own Country so maybe I do need to heal my relationship with nature). Your notes on her character work are spot on! I'm glad you read and liked it.
And honestly, though I'm still excited to read The Will To Change soon, I'm disappointed to hear hooks isn't great with video games; I wanted to eventually recommend it to my little straight brother who is a big gamer. Also, I remember reading something on tumblr the other day (wish I could link it, I remember it was reblogged by trans author Jay Edidin) about how some women ridicule men for having nerdy interests and seek to outright destroy their husbands' video game consoles, action figures, miniatures, etc. I think that links directly with this idea of men never showing vulnerability; to certain people, we aren't allowed to be childish either. You see it with the Andrew Tate types mocking people for watching Star Wars, for example. Of course, straight men in geek communities online have shown how disgustingly misogynistic they can be, so it's a nuanced conversation. IDK.