Scribble #117

All the rereading of books this year, and rewatching of films and TV, and filtering them depending on which are not so good after all or have not aged well, and which have brought on more bad feelings and thoughts in me than good ones.

I can let go of old products and franchises that I used to enjoy and admire - cull them - and feel relief and elation, instead of sadness and disillusionment. If something ignorant, harmful, dated, meanspirited (you'd be surprised how often abusive behaviour is overlooked in fiction), insulting, or just stupid is not bringing you happiness, then it is not worth your time anymore. You can move on and grow up, that's fine. It's an enlightenment; an awakening to your wiser and more sensitive self. It's a chance to get into new franchises and fandoms you never thought you could before, as well. New gateways, how exciting!

Like what you like. Enjoy what you enjoy. To grow up and revisit what still brings you comfort, love and wisdom - what still sparks your creativity - is a precious gift. Nostalgia isn't always wistful, nor is it timeless, but it can be.

Thus ends my thought for the day.

Further Thoughts on 'The Deathly Hallows'

I have reread all the seven 'Harry Potter' books this summer, thirteen years after I first did that. What memories, relived experiences, and huge missed details that I've discovered this time round! 

Because I couldn't write most of my final thoughts in my original reviews due to the stupid Goodreads word count limit, I'll express them here, where there are no limits. I won't include what I have already in my reviews. 

My opinions, mainly on the final book, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' - you can see my review of that here - are as follows:

• So, I'm still not sympathetic to Snape. His whole motivation is simply: He isn't wholly loyal to Voldemort and never tried to kill Harry because he wanted to link his wand's Patronus into Harry's mother's, if you know what I mean. Frankly, he hasn't changed much since he was ten years old. He is selfish, mean, cruel, nasty, abusive, vindictive, spiteful, biased, hypocritical, and bigoted; loving one person doesn't change that. He treated Lily like a possession when she was alive - he expressed "greed" upon stalking her long before he talked to her, and in "not letting her" do things he didn't want her to; among other factors attributing to an abusive relationship. He likely deliberately helped to drive Lily away from her jealous sister Petunia as well, so he could have her to himself. Lily was right to chew him out when he deserved it, when he acted entitled. She was right in not getting together with him. He's a Dark Arts fanatic with fascist views. Severus Snape was the one who told Voldemort about the prophecy in the first place - everything that happens in 'Harry Potter', and why Harry is an orphan who grew up abused and unloved, is entirely Snape's fault. Yeah, it could be argued that Wormtail would have betrayed his friends to the Dark Lord anyway, and they would have died even if Snape hadn't found out about the prophecy, but that's a big reach, don't you think? A desperate shifting of blame from Snape? That Snape would happily have let James and baby Harry die if not for Lily also being in danger from his Dark master is disturbing and disgusting enough (even Dumbledore had pointed this out). He ransacked Sirius's private things and ripped out a picture of Lily and a page of a letter from her, tossing anything to do with James and Harry to the ground; never caring, nary a pinch of remorse. Disgusting and creepy. Loneliness and a bad childhood are no excuses: that can account for nearly every character in 'Harry Potter', and they didn't try to make other people suffer because of it. Well, at least the Potions Master and Half-Blood Prince never tried to force Lily to love him using a love potion (as far as we know). And I know I'm not the first person to point this out, but if Snape really loved Lily, then why didn't he attempt to protect her via a love charm, like she did with Harry? Is it because he didn't know that love is a more powerful magic than the Dark Arts? Again I say: selfish, stubborn and narrow-minded. Love didn't change him. I'm baffled also that Harry would name one of his kids after Snape - whom he hated for years and for good reason - out of all the names of people, alive or dead, who actually loved and cared for him. Hey, Harry, remember when Severus tried to get Sirius's soul sucked out by a Dementor in 'The Prisoner of Azkaban'? The man loathed you from the start as an innocent, orphaned eleven year old who did nothing to him, just because you were James Potter's kid. Snape never grew up and got over his schooldays. 'Probably the bravest man I ever knew.', my arse. Yeah, I'm not much of a fan of that subplot.

• In mentioning Lily and Severus's relationship, how did none of the Marauders know that they were friends at Hogwarts? They saw the two talking to each other on their very first Hogwarts Express ride - with all of them in the same compartment. Did the duo keep it a sort of secret later on? Why? Why hide their friendship for all those years exactly?

• I love that each book in the 'Harry Potter' series can't easily be called too similar to any of the others. They each have a different feel, mood, setting, and theme, depending on the stakes, and they mature and progress greatly as the series goes on.

• Poor Tonks. She deserved so much better. She deserved better than a man who tells three teenagers that he regrets marrying her; who would abandon his pregnant wife to go on adventures with said teenagers, because of his werewolf angst. It's sexist, demeaning and a disservice that her strong and spunky female character status is lost once she falls in love, is married and has a baby. She is a depressed wreck in 'The Half-Blood Prince', until she is finally together with Remus and her hair is pink again. A man is what she needs to be happy and fulfilled! I'd hoped that at least she'd be given a fair amount of page time in 'The Deathly Hallows', but she doesn't. She spends the majority as an off-page baby-maker. Even her death is treated like an afterthought.

• Speaking of the Marauders nostalgic for the careless, risk-taking days of their youth, I like that in 'The Order of the Phoenix' (which I now view as a very underrated instalment), poor, bored innocent-in-hiding Sirius wishes that Harry was more like James. But Harry grew up unloved and unspoiled and so takes nothing for granted, and he also takes more after Lily than James. For all of Sirius's charms and good points (such as going against his racist, pure-blood supremacy Slytherin family, except when it comes to Kreacher), his male power fantasy and longing for the "good old days" ends up being his downfall. Toxic masculinity and nostalgia are given the bad light they deserve. One of the most tragic aspects to Sirius's character is that he never got the chance to grow up. He spent most of his adult life in Azkaban, and was never truly free in his lifetime. Of course he'd be stifled, restless, frustrated and impulsive, like a caged animal; a caged dog. It's understandable that he'd project his dead, childhood best friend onto his godson, the only family worth caring for he has left.

• On the subject of Kreacher, I am surprised by how much I cared for him in 'The Deathly Hallows'. He truly is a tragic and tortured creature, and overtime his personality gets better, once he is treated better by Harry and Ron. Sirius never gave him a chance, and this is acknowledged as a bad thing. Hermione set a good example, and never gave up on Kreacher, no matter how many times she was called a Mudblood by him. She was right all along about house-elves needing rights.

• Back to 'The Order of the Phoenix', it's a thoughtful, misty and sad little touch of worldbuilding detail to note that bereaved Hogwarts students would want to seek comfort and assurance from ghosts, particularly Nearly-Headless Nick, who is himself grieved whenever students come to him for answers concerning their dearly departed, unable to console and ease their pain much. Death isn't as cheap as one would think in 'Harry Potter'. Grief and loss are real, and are felt.

• In 'The Half-Blood Prince', when Dumbledore dies, Fawkes the phoenix sings a mournful song, and then flies off and disappears, never to be seen again. That is so sad.

• Did anyone from the Slytherin House fight against the Death Eaters in the Battle of Hogwarts? I assume Slughorn did. He seems to be the only decent Slytherin character in the whole series (on this issue, I'd argue that even Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are more sympathetic than Snape, in their love and protection of their son Draco, bravely and right in Voldemort's presence).

• In one chapter where Harry thinks about how Albus's sister Ariana might have been abused and how Albus did nothing about it, he compares the situation to how Dudley had always simultaneously bullied Harry and ignored the abuse inflicted on him by Vernon and Petunia, so long as it didn't affect Dudley too. Finally, the word "abuse" is used to describe how Harry was treated by the Dursleys.

• Percy Weasley is the Arnold Rimmer of 'Harry Potter', only slightly more competent.

• It's a shame that, with nearly everyone receiving their own crowning moment of awesome in the final adventure, Myrtle and Winky are not in 'The Deathly Hallows'. Like, is Winky no longer depressed? Did Dobby end up being a positive influence on her? Oh well, can't have it all, I suppose. There are hundreds of characters to keep track of already.

• With Harry's children named mainly after people who had died for him, I wonder whether Ginny ever had a say in naming their kids? Most likely not.

• Did I miss something? Bellatrix used the Cruciatus Curse on Hermione in Malfoy Manor, for quite a long period of time. So why, when Hermione uses Polyjuice potion to turn into Bellatrix, and picks up Bellatrix's wand, this is never mentioned? Hermione is reluctant to hold the wand, saying that it is evil and was used to kill and torture people. And to torture you too, remember?! Why doesn't she experience PTSD from that?! The fate of Neville's parents is pointed out but not something that was done a few chapters ago?! Or did Bellatrix use someone else's wand to torture Hermione? I don't know.

• Another thing I missed out: how did the Gryffindor sword end up inside the Sorting Hat in the climactic battle, when Neville pulled it out to kill Nagini? Is this just something that the Sorting Hat can do? Can other Chekhov's Guns be pulled from it? Griphook must be pissed.

• Harry's Invisibility Cloak, inherited from his father, is a Hallow, and is now the best damn magical item for invisibility ever. It's so perfect and completely impenetrable by any magic and any thing...didn't Moody's eye use to see through it in 'The Goblet of Fire', though? 

• Another brill worldbuilding detail concerns goblin and wizard relations and their history (economic, political and cultural), and this is a plot point in the final book.

• I love that it is implied that in Hogwarts this year, Ginny, Neville and Luna are the new trio, fighting against the Death Eaters' tyranny and dictatorship. I hope to read about their adventures someday. I have a whole new respect for Ginny now. They, along with the other DA members and the Order of the Phoenix, are so brave, especially Neville. (Although, in going back to the subject of Snape and his "bravery" and "trustworthiness", he didn't seem to have done anything to prevent students getting tortured and injured severely while he was the headmaster of Hogwarts, when he had promised Dumbledore he would try to protect them and keep them safe.)

• Hermione kisses Ron passionately when he expresses concern for the house-elves at Hogwarts in the Battle of Hogwarts. She finally got through to his thick skull about elf rights, and he has earned her love. Men's growth, maturity and unselfishness are attractive to women - take note, Snape.

• Among the many fantastic callbacks to the previous books, Hermione yelling at Ron, "Are you a wizard, or what?" - mirroring him yelling at her, "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?" way back in their very first adventure - is a triumph. How they've grown!

• Great significance is placed on Harry's wand, plus the Elder Wand, in this. The bond is written spectacularly. And yet, what about Harry's Firebolt broomstick? I seem to remember that being destroyed at some stage, but Harry gives no thought to it whatsoever, when throughout all the books he loved flying and Quidditch. Strange.

• Harry, Ron and Hermione riding a dragon out of Gringotts is awesome.

• 'The Forest Again' remains my favourite chapter in the book.

• Harry visiting Godric's Hollow, and his introspection and thoughts there concerning "What if?" - what if he had grown up with living, loving parents, for example - is also beautifully done.

• Harry decides not to own the Elder Wand after the Battle of Hogwarts and defeating Voldemort, preferring to fix his old wand from when he was eleven. Another flip-side contrast between Harry and Voldemort: Harry does not care for power, nor fame and riches. Only love.

• When Dumbledore's backstory is explained, it is easy to see that he was indeed in love with Grindelwald. That it took his sister's death for him to finally come to his senses and see Grindelwald as a monster (until the very end, that is, when, in perishing in prison, Gellert refused to give the location of the Elder Wand to Voldemort) is a tragedy for the ages. Albus changed his views, and tried to be a better person in the aftermath of a personal tragedy, which is more than I can say for Snape. I only wish that Ms Rowling could have made more characters queer in the 'Harry Potter' universe. She didn't even hint at it in 'The Cursed Child', where it would have fitted brilliantly.

• And now, for the elephant in the room, the one issue that I have somewhat been avoiding on the quest to reread and re-review these books. That of J.K. Rowling being revealed as a vicious TERF who would make Germaine Greer proud. This is devastating enough, but it goes against the strong anti-bigotry and anti-fascism message of 'Harry Potter' (In 'The Deathly Hallows', Kingsley Shacklebolt, a powerful, high-ranking and respected Black wizard, declares that we are all human and equal; so basically, fuck the tyrant Voldemort and his Death Eaters and their pure-blood, pure "perfect" wizard supremacy). Remember: Respect existence, or expect resistance. So what happened to Rowling? Do people just become stupider as they get older? More right-wing? I am saddened, yet it has not lessened my enjoyment of the books. They are still wonderfully told stories filled with timeless themes, limitless creativity and unforgettable and colourful characters. Problematic authors are a staple in lit circles and communities (how many authors of classic works were openly racist and misogynistic, hmm? And what about Orson Scott Card?), but we still read and love their books. And I know for a fact that there are people who never gave a shit about trans rights before who now suddenly want Rowling's head. Any excuse to hate women in positions of power and influence, and to justify their misogyny, I guess. I'm not making excuses for Rowling's behaviour, however, and I am absolutely not taking her side. With trans hate suddenly and inexplicably on the rise in this cultural climate, there is no excuse. All I can do is never give my money to Rowling again, and support the LBGTQ community in any way I can.

Well, that's all.

Non-Fiction Review - 'Believe in Your Own Magic: A 45-Card Oracle Deck and Guidebook' by Amanda Lovelace, Janaina Medeiros (Artist)

A brand new oracle deck by Amanda Lovelace that is as beautiful, fantastical, empowering and diverse as you'd expect. As a fan of her poetry and of witchcraft and feminism, I couldn't resist.

It's as sure as the stars and the infinite cosmos to help out any girls and women in any tough or bleak situation. Spiritual or not, the pretty cards are about offering advice on introspection, self-love, self-healing, confidence, and independence; the fairy tale imagery is metaphorical.

Definitely an Amanda Lovelace product then.

On the cards are illustrations of teen girls of various shapes and skin colours - who are vulnerable but yearn for freedom from oppression, toxicity, abuse, trauma, societal expectations etc. - who wield swords, fly without wings, confront dragons and castles, cast spells, cut their own hair, and are just badass queens, mermaids and witches. These enchanting pictures are impossible to resist for me.

A magical recommendation from me. For magic - the power to change things - can be found inside all of us. Smash that patriarchy!

Nice shout-out to Katniss Everdeen too, Ms Lovelace!

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'Tilly and the Bookwanderers (Pages & Co. #1)' by Anna James

2023 REREAD: A delightful, charming, wholesome and addictive children's book, to be devoured in one whole day. It's a book that helped to clear and calm my mind. Though the ending is anticlimactic and underwhelming, that leaves quite a lot unresolved, it is an all-around fun read. 'Tilly and the Bookwanderers' is for book lovers and celebrates the magic of books and reading. And bookshops and libraries. It's dewy, sweet and whimsical!

Final Score: 3.5/5





Original Review:



'"Though the stories will always snap back to the original text once readers return to the real world, it gets a little bit more complicated while they are inside the story [...] there is always the danger of getting lost in a book [...] Stories enhance our lives; they shouldn't replace them.
And that is just the good books; it's even easier to get lost in a bad book. Plot holes can be lethal."' - pages 192-193



That quote in particular made me laugh very hard.

'Tilly and the Bookwanderers' is a light, whimsical and charming fantasy book for children. It's another 'Reader is sucked into book worlds and characters from book worlds enter our real world' premise. Only here there is a secret society, the global Underlibraries, that employ a community called "bookwanderers", and there are interesting rules and regulations regarding reading into fiction books with the power of imagination and book love.

Bookwanderers are readers who possess the remarkable entering-and-pulling-from-books ability, and the collective power of libraries and bookshops enhance it. In young Tilly's adventure there are references to 'Alice in Wonderland', 'Anne of Green Gables', 'A Little Princess', 'Treasure Island', 'The Faraway Tree', 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Sherlock Holmes', 'Harry Potter', and a few other classics.

This is a book that really does love books; there is a delightful and adorable - and magical - sparkle sprinkled throughout the pages. Anyone who experiences libraries and bookshops as sanctuaries, and who loves that new book smell, will immediately understand it.

In 'Tilly and the Bookwanderers', to amp the fantastical, fonts change for certain words and phrases, and sentences literally wobble, fade or trail off down a page. For added effect. Kiddie fare!

Eleven-year-old Matilda "Tilly" Pages lives in a bookshop in London, Pages & Co., with her grandparents, and of course she and nearly everyone else around her love books. They love to talk about books and their favourite characters. They always cosy up with a good book, and take comfort in reading to each other. Tilly wishes that any of her favourite book characters would be her best friend, instead of real people (don't we all relate!).

This bookworm may have the power to make her wishes come true. She soon discovers that there are more magic and miracles to be had with reading - she and most of the other characters are bookwanderers. The key mystery in this book is finding out the cause of Tilly's mother's disappearance when she was a baby. Reuniting lost families and making new friends - back in reality, while acknowledging that stories are also important but have their place - are likewise key themes.

Tilly is a fairly typical kid protagonist in children's books - right down to her being a stronger and more special kind of bookwanderer, and she's an orphan, though her missing mother is likely still alive, and her parentage is certainly...unique - but she is still a delightful and courageous heroine to root for.

'Tilly and the Bookwanderers' is a light and quick read, as I've said.

Almost too quick.

Some details concerning worldbuilding, plot progression and character development are not as fleshed out, or as well explained, as others; or they are even skipped over entirely. A few characters are forgotten about, such as Tilly's cat Alice, an Underlibrary employee or two, and the grandmother of Tilly's friend Oskar in Paris who by the end of the story is sick - what becomes of her? And I'm sure what the Archivists are will be explained only in the sequel (are they bookwandering mercenaries?). Mistakes such as Tilly being introduced to a new character as "Matilda" and then that character calls her "Tilly" happen once or twice, and I'm surprised they got past the editing stage of writing. There is a little too much dialogue and exposition dumping in the whole book, which is something I never normally mind in children's lit. The ending is a teeny bit anticlimactic as well, obviously setting up for the sequel. Further fleshing out and emotional investment wouldn't have gone amiss.

But the book oozes charm and sweet stuff. Kids will devour it in a day. There are creative ideas to its premise: the bookwanderer's Endpapers buffer/negative matter being the least of them.

Seriously, those who have not read this will never guess the identity of Tilly's father - it is so ludicrous that it circles all around itself and becomes brilliant.

Fiction and reality blend in with cups of tea and cake in 'Tilly and the Bookwanderers (Pages & Co. #1)'. It's a sweet, whimsical tome; a book lover's nostalgia gateway drug.

Here's what I could write about this first book of a series without spoiling much. Read and experience it yourself if you haven't already. It's a fun, wholesome, whole-day read.

Final Score: 3.5/5

Book Review - 'Loveless' by Alice Oseman

Phenomenal.

Throughout a dark, dismal, abysmal and hopeless year, here I am, having finally read something that is a strong contender for the best book of 2020. For 'Loveless' just screams hope.

After centuries of everyone, from such a young age, being bombarded and pressured by societal and cultural heteronormative crap, and by made-up, misogynistic virginity crap, here is a novel that shouts out no more, stop it, from the top of the author's lungs; from the bottom of her tired, scared but determined heart.

Alice Oseman has grown and proven herself to be a certified UK creative writing goddess. Her newest magnum opus, 'Loveless', is about love in its myriad of different forms. It teaches us that you can find long lasting happiness without romantic and/or sexual relationships. And that yes, for some people friendship is more important than romance. Platonic love is just as powerful and meaningful as romantic/sexual love, if not more so.

Life partners can apply to friendships too.

No matter who you are and what your preferences are, and what your sexuality is, or lack thereof, you are not alone. You don't have to be alone forever. There is nothing wrong with you. You are normal and healthy. It is who you are. However long it takes, and how scary and confusing your journey to self-discovery is, you can learn to love yourself. For being yourself. Even in a world that may stubbornly refuse to accommodate to you and your needs; that may refuse to accept and acknowledge you. But there are people out there who will, and will love you for who you are.

A major case and point: Asexual and/or aromantic people are not without love.

The queer spectrum is so vast and varying - the initials LBGTQA don't even begin to cover it - and it is beautiful. No one can be truly alone after all.

'Loveless' is addictive, endearing, bold and harrowing, and is so crushingly relatable and personal a human story that it is both chilling and life affirming. It is one of the most important and revolutionary YA reads ever published. It brought me back to my own university years, and it will help so, so many people, but most notably teenagers, figure out who they are, and their own possible sexual identity. It will help them realise that things are not in black and white, and that humans are messy and complex. Everyone is different, an individual, despite how they may present themselves to others, or what walls they put up around themselves. Everyone is dealing with their own issues.

'Loveless' by Alice Oseman is about Georgia Warr, who loves romance, flirting, and sexual tensions and encounters in films, TV, and fanfiction - in theory. In practice, the girl who is obsessed with cheesy (and heteronormative, thanks Hollywood) rom coms and fanfics finds that she can't really fall in love herself, or have a crush on anyone, no matter how much she tries to force herself to. She's eighteen and has never kissed anyone, which is something that other teens make her feel ashamed and embarrassed about. Maybe she's just shy, or has very high standards, or is there another reason why she's never felt "love" the way others seem to have by now?

Georgia starts her first term at uni in Durham, where, like every fresher student, she longs for the ultimate college experience of: making a fresh start, opening up, putting herself out there, clubbing, joining societies, meeting new people, hooking up, having sex, and finding the special someone, or someones, who will set them up for life. For university is the start of the "proper adult life", or at least that's what everyone's been conditioned to believe in so hardheartedly.

But it doesn't work out how Georgia expected it. She in fact hates doing most of the things listed above. Varying levels of peer pressure and bad advice aside, she finds she is simply not interested. She soon realises that she will never want to kiss anyone or have sex with anyone. As she reluctantly gets involved with a Pride society at uni, she discovers, in depth, the words asexual, and aromantic, and the many definitions they can apply to for a lot of different people. She slowly but surely realises that they do indeed apply to her identity, and it terrifies her and confuses her. Does this mean that she is loveless, that she will spend the rest of her life alone and unhappy? With no happily ever after?

Happily ever after happens easily for loads of couples Georgia knows - both in real life and in fiction - but what about her?

On Georgia's coming-of-age journey, where she makes new friends, and loses and gains back old ones, and where she comes to know friends who have lost and grown apart from other friends - not to mention have left abusive partners in the past - she learns one of the most important lessons in uni, in adulthood, and in life there is: that there is genuine, all encompassing love and support in friendship groups as well. Shy, insecure, lost and human Georgia becomes a part of her own society - a Shakespeare theatre society - and a part of her own little Scooby gang (literally, 'Scooby Doo' is a major theme in the book).

She is not loveless at all, since we see that platonic love, a boon companionship, is, undoubtedly, more important to her than anything.

Georgia Warr is, in reality, all of us; in discovering who we are, and loving ourselves for it. Despite us still living in a heteronormative world where sex, romance, marriage and babies are the be-all-and-end-all of life's goals (especially for women), and so loving ourselves and our individual identities can still be difficult on most days. The key to self-realisation and happiness is in knowing that somewhere, there are people who care for you and who your are. There are people who will relate to you and your struggles and fears, in terms of "fitting in".

No one can ever be alone in the world. Everyone can be happy, in being themselves. No matter how "different" or "weird" people seem, they aren't, and they deserve happiness.

There is an abundance of great characters in 'Loveless'. Among the book's Scooby gang are: Georgia's Hispanic lesbian best friend, the fiery, hilarious and wonderful Pip Quintana; the president of Durham university's Pride soc, the gay asexual Indian Sunil Jha, a precious cinnamon roll who also identifies as nonbinary and uses he/they pronouns; and possibly my favourite character, rising above even Georgia:

Rooney Bach, Georgia's college roommate who goes out clubbing, socialising and having spontaneous hookups and sex on most nights. She is clearly the exact opposite of our heroine. But the extroverted and Shakespeare-loving Rooney is not as well put together as she tries to present herself. She is possibly bisexual (the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers relationship dynamic she has with Pip is cracking and sparkling with tension, and it is glorious), and she suffers from depression. Don't worry, the narrative is adamant that Rooney's problems do not stem from her being sex-positive and having casual sex; she likes sex, but still has self-esteem and confidence issues, resulting from relationships from her guilt-ridden past.

Different though they are from each other, Georgia and Rooney will grow to genuinely care for and love each other. They will understand and support one another, through all the ups and downs. Their platonic devotion is so beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes.

Opposites attract love is another theme in 'Loveless': Georgia and Rooney are the new adult, platonic kind; Georgia and Pip are the childhood friendship kind; and Pip and Rooney are the love/hate, romantic and sexual kind. These girls are like a triangle of opposites love.

The few but magnificent chapters featuring Georgia's adult cousin Ellis are also valuable and crucial to the story. They are also worth analysing the hell out of in English courses in schools and universities. 'Loveless' deserves to be on the curriculum.

The pop culture references are cute, too! There is the subtext, among other ample examples, of no one having to justify their tastes - like what you like, no matter who thinks what - which is so essential to preach in the current, toxic mainstream geek culture.

I mean, wow. 'Loveless' can be sad and uncomfortable to read, but that's a good thing. It is an eyeopener. Beyond quotable on nearly every page. Above everything, it is vitally educational - for the emotions as well as the brain. It may well help sort out some people's identity crises. The characters are awesome and real, and so is the outstanding story. I felt like I was with these gorgeous people the entire time I was reading.

'Loveless' - it is anything but.

My own personal note: At this moment of writing, I am a single woman in my late twenties, and I am still figuring some stuff out about who I am and who I want to be. I am stuck in a situation where it is literally not safe and economically sound for me to make huge life changes, such as moving, finding a new job, socialising, meeting new people, and starting a new, romantic and sexual relationship. For an introvert and advocate personality type like me, there are times when I feel so static, bored and alone that it hurts. Being alone in my own head can be messy and frustrating, especially during this difficult and uncertain present. But thanks to 'Loveless', thanks to Alice Oseman, I now know wholeheartedly that this is okay. That I am okay. There is nothing wrong with me, I have family and friends who love and care for me, and the future is as yet indeterminable.

Thank you, Alice. I confidently and proudly disclose a new favourite book, penned by you.

Thank you for making me, and loads of others, feel not alone at last.

Final Score: 5/5