#a+e

[norbezjones]

Bez Reviews Independent Books 6: a + e

Hey everyone!  I wanna do little reviews/writeups for the independently-published books I find on itch.io, and so, here I am.  I want to review one book every month or two (or quicker, if I’m lucky); it’ll get me reading more, and get authors who often go without feedback some thoughts on their work!  I think it’ll be cool for everyone!

If you want your book reviewed, the only requirement I have is that it’s hosted on itch.io.  Even if itch is just one of many places you can get the book, I want to review books that have a home there at least.  Feel free to get in touch with me with your books—I’m @NorbezJones on Twitter (I refuse to call it X), Bluesky, Pillowfort, Threads, Instagram, Tumblr, and Discord.

Looking forward to seeing your books! <3

__________

I only recently found out about the queer indie publisher tRaum Books.  I stumbled across Love/Aggression in the new books on itch.io, and from there, ended up browsing their titles to see if there was anything that stuck out to me.  I discovered that an author named Rysz Merey had multiple books published by tRaum, and two were part of a queer series called Seasons.  The first book was called a + e.  I decided to check it out.

a + e is about two queer friends, Ash & Eu, as they navigate high school, relationships, and growing up.  It says on the itch.io page that there’s a graphic novel of this book, but I can’t find it for the life of me and I’m very confused.  Anyway, in the Seasons series, a + e is “book spring”.  The books in the series are connected by theme, not characters or plot, and can be read in any order.  I just decided to start from the beginning because, as Roger & Hammerstein wrote, it’s a very good place to start.

The book starts when Ash moves to a new place with his family (in California, if my memory serves me).  At this new school, he is harassed and called queer slurs due to his longer hair and love of makeup.  Basically, things suck there.  That is, until he meets another person who is harassed for her presumed gayness: Eulalie, or Eu for short, who everyone believes is a lesbian.  These two listen to the same music, they both draw, they’re both Jewish, and everyone thinks they’re f-slurs.  They become fast friends.

Eu introduces Ash to clubs, where they dance the night away and make out with people.  Both are bi, it turns out, and Ash leans heavily towards men—looks like the bullies were right after all (but don’t tell them—they don’t deserve the satisfaction).  The first time Ash goes to a club, he is sexually assaulted, and Eu goes back to threaten the motherfucker who did it with a switchblade.  Friends look out for each other, even with knives.

Over time, Eu develops feelings for Ash, but he’s too busy screwing every cute guy he sees at clubs to notice.  And when she brings it to her attention, he rejects her.  It isn’t until much later in the book, when he becomes the lead in the school play, that he starts reciprocating her feelings.  By then, it may be too late.

This book is a vibe.  It has an interesting atmosphere and does a nice job capturing the complicated, multifaceted relationship of two queer people trying to make it until adulthood.  We get time in both Ash’s and Eu’s heads, depending on the chapter, and even when they grow distant, their fondness for each other is clear.  We also get to see into their family lives and history, get a glimpse of what brought them into this world in the first place.

The language of the book is vivid, with figurative language, stylistically overly long sentences, and quippy dialogue that never bores.  It’s a simple, down-to-earth story, but it’s very well told.

My main complaint is a stylistic one, but is really grates on me.  Let me say it like this:

“Dialogue isn’t written like it usually is in books,” Bez wrote in the review.  “It’s written with dashes for some reason.”

–When a character is speaking, there’s a dash in front of their words.  When there’s a insertion that is not dialogue in the same paragraph, there’s another dash, like this, –Bez explained.  He fixed a spelling mistake before continuing. –I don’t know why the author does this, but I do know that I don’t like it very much.  At the end of the day, it boils down to personal preferences, I guess.  Oh, and there’s not a dash to end a dialogue line for some reason.

Hopefully that explains what I am trying to say!

Overall, a + e is a good read that I definitely enjoyed, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the Seasons series!  Hopefully I can review it in the future. The book I’m reviewing next is a short story collection by a mutual of mine who has helped with some of my games before.  Can you guess what it is?

[miisheelz]

guysss, i don't even know what to sayyy 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[hamletthedane]

I just found the earliest email I ever sent from my email address, and it’s the funniest goddamn thing I can possibly imagine a fourth grader sending her teacher:

(Context - my fourth grade teacher was on maternity leave, and the class had conferenced at recess regarding the poor state of the classroom goldfish’s tank. We decided to inform our (24yo, new mother) former teacher of the dire situation, and I was selected as the duly appointed representative for this solemn communication.)

[mostly-funnytwittertweets]

[princesscas]

"edit images with AI-- search with AI-- control your life with AI--"

[auroblaze]

After all that happened in Dark Beginnings youo mean to tell me HE'S JUSTS GOING TO SEE THEM???? AND I'LL JUST HAUVE TO BAWL MY EYES OUT????? HELLO??? HELPME

[thewebcomicsreview]

[pokemon-cards-hourly]

[soon-palestine]

[psykopaths]

Manifesting ✨️

[transrevolutions]

the thing terfs (and transphobes in general) don't seem to get about sexual preferences re: not being attracted to certain genitals is that like. okay. you have a preference. this feature is a turn-off. but that does not mean it is necessary to constantly broadcast how unattractive and undesirable you find people with this feature. you do not have to do that. in fact, it is generally considered quite rude. sexual compatibility or lack thereof has nothing to do with moral purity or legitimacy.

[krunkidile]

found you a new hat.

[humming-fly]

They seem like the kind of guys who would keep count

Bonus:

[hamletthedane]

So, I follow this “bad commercial interior design” Facebook page and-

[mostly-funnytwittertweets]