I have not read anything by Isabel Allende and was browsing my sister’s stacks and this caught my eye. Have you read this one? What did you think?

I’m definitely borrowing it. I love a well loved copy of a book too. Makes one wonder what journey this one has been on. #bookstagram #readmorewomen #isabelallende#booklover #bookaholic #alwaysreading #toberead #latinxbooks

The importance of having this book on every library shelf in North America can’t be overstated. So this is not a review, it’s just how I reacted to this book and why I love it so.

When I was reading this I constantly thought to myself how much I wish I had known Felix as a teenager. What caught me the most throughout this book is how comfortable some of the characters are questioning their identities and pushing themselves to think deeper about ways to be, especially Felix. Of course there are sometimes more questions than answers but that is okay, and the ability to even ask those questions in the first place gives Felix a special place in my heart.

Growing up we consume media and ideas that tell us gender and sexuality are fixed, there is no fluidity. But the more I read and the more counternarratives I pursue the more I understand the lies I’ve been fed since my very beginning. There is no fixed way to be, and our identities are fluid in a way that should make the world more beautiful not scary. Sometimes I wonder to myself who I could’ve been if I wasn’t so afraid to push myself out the binaries of society. Would I have had the courage to explore my own thoughts on being bisexual? Would I have pushed back on what was expected of me as an Asian woman?Instead of pushing myself to think outside the binary of society I pushed those parts of myself down and ignored them. Instead I told myself that to be beautiful and to be feminine meant having long, flowing gorgeous hair and crystal blue eyes to match, there was no other way to express femininity. Felix Ever After is like a soothing balm for the soul, especially for the BIPOC LGBTQ community, but there is a message here for everyone.

I am still afraid of saying this because of how I know it could be received, but I don’t care. I am raising a child and I need to talk the talk and walk the walk, so thank you Felix for showing me the way. I think about this question often by @alokvmenon , “What part of yourself did you have to destroy to exist in this world?” After reading this. I think I know my answer. And to my friends being harmed by that awful writer. I love you as you are. I know Felix does too.

#bookstagram #decolonizeyourmind #decolonizeyourbookshelf #decolonizeeducation #yabooks #readya #readersofinstagram #alwaysreading #felixeverafter#readblackauthors #readlgbtq #supportblackauthors #thinkoutsidethebinary #libraryglaredontcare #libraybook

It’s Latinx Heritage Month! And we should celebrate Latinx Heritage all year! It’s great to have months to get awareness out but even better if you dedicate yourself to it all year. I know I can do much better and I’m so glad I joined the #bookstagram community bc it’s exposed me to books like this one. I’m #currentlyreading this for @thestackspod discussion at the end of the month with @lupita.reads Two accounts you should follow. This morning my class and I discussed the google doodle about Felicitas Mendez and it’s a great slice of LA history we knew nothing about. It feels good to inform the kids and ask questions together. I’m gonna read “My Papi has a Motorcycle” during closing circle today, as well. But I’ll make sure to hold myself accountable to read books like it throughout the year and not just this month.

How many of you are excited for this movie? Further, how many were just waiting to see the worm? Haha. This book will always be linked to my summer travels through Europe after college. I’ve had the privilege to visit there to see friends and family. When I think about this book it makes me smile since it is so tied to those memories and lugging this tome around. And it’s nice to smile today when there is just so much wrong going on outside. Is there a book you tie to a specific memory that makes you happy? I hope you find joy somewhere today. But if not I’m so sorry. None of this is normal. And it’s okay to be scared. I’m scared. But I’m here for you.

#dune #frankherbert#alwaysreading #vacationread #sciencefiction #sff #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookaddict #lovebooks

Thanks to @caseythereader for putting this book on my radar. It was truly a delightful read. A murder mystery to be solved by a non-magical person at a magic school where her magical twin sister works? WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

This book was a perfect read for me in this current moment, it had magic elements and horror elements, but our heroine, Ivy, at the center of it all is the real reason why I got so drawn in. She is perfectly imperfect, and I adored her. Maybe it is just the moment in time I am reading this too, but I am suffering from serious imposter syndrome these days and a lack of belief in myself as a teacher, so reading this made me feel less alone. Ivy is a badass, but she’s also really complicated and getting to know her made me smile.

I also appreciated the diverse cast of characters that were queer. It was not taboo at all, it just was. I also thought (maybe this is spoiler-y) that the plot line involving abortion was handled well because it also wasn’t taboo. There were no hidden whispers or shaming about it, and I appreciated that as well.

Overall, I liked this one and would recommend it to you if you like books with magic and a touch of horror. It was a smooth read that had some delightfully funny moments (courtesy of our heroines’ biting wit). #readfantasy #readnonbinaryauthors #readlgbtqauthors #fantasybooks #bookswithmagic #murdermystery #magicforliars #alwaysreading #bookstagram #ilovebooks #booklover#bookaddict