Be Who You Are and Love Who You Love

      

     Since June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, I chose a variety of books with lgbtq characters or themes. There are more and more authors writing for this community and I am so glad. Everyone needs to be able to find a book to read that allows you to put yourself in the character's place so that you can escape for a few minutes a day in a story. People read for many different reasons, but one of the reasons I enjoy reading is that it allows me to step into another person's shoes for just a little bit. It gives me the opportunity to view the world through the eyes of a character that has a totally different personality, nationality, sexual identity, or even in a different time period. This is why reading helps children develop compassion and empathy for their peers. I really haven't met an avid reader that reads a variety of genres that is not compassionate for others.  

Let's start with one of my favorite young adult authors, Julie Murphy. I first read her novel, Dumplin'  a few years ago. Being an overweight person myself, I could so relate to Willow Dean. I totally understood what she was going through at school and how she felt about her body. Pumpkin is another one of her books that includes Willow Dean and some of her friends. Pumpkin, or Waylon, is an openly gay student in a West Texas small town. His twin sister, Clementine is also one of his best friends. Waylon is not sure what he is going to do after graduation, he really doesn't have a plan. He finds out that his sister does, and it doesn't include him. Waylon's favorite on TV is Fiercest of Them All, a drag show competition. Could Waylon have a future in drag? The book also addresses the issue of prom and how lgbtq+ students deal with the prom "norms", especially in a small southern town. You will finish this book cheering for Pumpkin and his friends. 

                                               

     Grace is not the type of woman who goes to Las Vegas and celebrates, gets drunk and wakes up married to a woman, who she doesn't even know her name. She just completed her PhD in astronomy and always has her life organized and follows a plan. How did this happen? Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers was a little slow and superficial at first, I thought, then as I got into it, it touched on mental wellness and taking care of yourself. It also addresses the problems Grace has getting a job as a biracial, bisexual woman at a research facility or university. She is a very strong person and was an advocate for lgbtq students while in college. When her life long dream is not as fulfilling as she hoped it would be, it forces her to look at what really makes her happy and why were her goals so important to her, or were they more important to someone else in her life? There is a cast of very interesting characters and I realize that many times those in the lgbtq+ community often stick together because they do not always get family support and they want to be with people who understand what they are going through. 

     Being a part of the "First Family" is not always easy. We often hear how the pressure of being in the public eye is difficult for the children of U.S. Presidents. Add to that being biracial and bisexual and the pressure is even more difficult. Alex and the Prince of England didn't get along. Alex thought he was stuck up and boring. Does Prince Henry feel the same way? This is a cute romance from the viewpoint of the son of a female U.S. President. I listened to this audiobook and really enjoyed the characters. It is a love story from a bisexual male's viewpoint and it is very well done. Make sure you check out, Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. 

     The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch is a young adult novel whose main character is an openly gay male, Sky, who navigates his life in a small town and a small high school. He deals with bullying and harassment, even though he tries to fit in the best he can. He lives with his best friend because his mother threw him out of the house after he came out to her. As their senior year draws to a close, Sky plans to throw caution to the wind and ask his big crush, Ali, a middle eastern brainiac ,to the prom. An email hack causes Sky to reconsider. Will he even go to his senior prom? This book addresses being yourself, standing up to bullies and supporting your friends. I caught myself cheering for Sky towards the end of the book. Young adult students are very brave, especially when they have to deal with bullying and how others treat them, on their own, without their family's support many times. Again, they rely on the kindness of friends. It is very important that we support young people who are dealing with bullying after coming out, even by family members. 

     The last book I wish to talk about tells the story of a movie star from the 1950's & 60's who had seven husbands. She is aging and all of her husbands are dead, so she decides to have a young writer for a local magazine write her "Tell All" biography. Why does she choose Monique to write her story? This book made me stop and think about many people in Hollywood during this time period who may have been in the same boat. They had to do things they didn't want to do to make it in the movie industry. The twist at the end when you find out why she chose Monique to write her book is a surprise. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid will have you loving, then hating the main character, Evelyn. This is definitely a page turner that will keep you up late at night reading just one more chapter. I don't want to give too much more away, so you will just have to read it to see how it fits this month's category. 

     Since we finished renovating our kitchen, I have been trying to get back into my sour dough starter and making items with the starter. I had a friend at work give me some of her starter that was good and bubbly. I started by making some homemade English muffins. They turned out nice and fluffy. They are delicious toasted with butter and jam. 

Then I got to thinking that it seemed like such a waste to toss dough starter after it is fed. So, I thought why not keep using the starter if it continues to be bubbly. So I next made some homemade cinnamon rolls. I forgot to get a good photo of the rolls, but they turned out well. 

Then, I surfed Pinterest and decided to try some sourdough pizza crust. I made two pizzas and they turned out nice and crispy. We like the homemade pizza because we can control the toppings and it is not as greasy as delivery. 

I used a pizza pan and a stone. I prefer the stone. It makes the crust crispy. My favorite way to make the pizza sauce is to use roasted red peppers. I buy a jar, drain them and blend them in the food processor. They make a mild sauce which is less acidic than the tomato sauce. 

Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. Make sure you stop by next month to see what my book topic will be. Remember to always be true to yourself.