I was poking around on Instagram this week and saw that a library (somewhere) picked up the hashtag #stickynotereviews. I’m excited to see what they post and I’m excited to hear their thoughts on the books they’re reading. Go library!

In this week’s rundown, I’ve got two books. One that was kind of meh, and one that I enjoyed for the most part. Nothing I’m jumping up and down about, really.

#bookaday What We Left Behind by Robin Talley #stickynotereviews

A video posted by Eli (@thebooksupplier) on Feb 10, 2016 at 7:27am PST

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The romantic in me loved this book. I’ve begun to embrace my inner romantic and it’s been fabulous. But the queer part of me felt like the conversation about labels (genderqueer or transgender, among others) was overwhelming. Not overwhelming due to unfamiliarity, but overwhelming in a way that usurped the entire narrative. I get that teenagers can be very self-focused. And I get that when people are trying to figure things out, a lot of labels are gone through before one is found that fits. At the same time, there aren’t many books where genderqueer characters are genderqueer and okay with it, and I would much rather have seen that as part of this narrative.

#bookaday Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphonia. I know everyone is talking about how great this story is, but what I want to know is why Kamala had to channel some other superhero and take on another superhero’s discarded name rather than coming into her own outright. In some respects I get it, but there’s a part of me that just doesn’t understand. #stickynotereviews #bookstagram #bookreview #msmarvel

A photo posted by Eli (@thebooksupplier) on Feb 10, 2016 at 7:22pm PST

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So it seems that the rant that I went on in the description for this photo isn’t even what I said in the sticky note. I may be in my feelings a little bit about narratives of brown people and original story. The basic gist of the sticky note: I felt like I was hit over the head with an attempt to disrupt stereotypes in the first issue. Spread it out – it’s a part of everyday life. And I’m interested to see how Kamala balances being a superhero with being part of her family. Her origin story isn’t the typical hero’s origin story – both parents are alive and together. There isn’t a huge inciting incident (though sneaking out for Kamala is a huge deal) that calls her to her quest. Anyway, I’ll pick up the next volume the next time I make a library trip. Maybe today.

What have you been reading?