English
YA (13+)
Food/Cookbooks
LGBTQ+ Relationships
Sex Positive
YA Romance
Humor
summary
Cheese. One of the best substances in the world.
In my opinion, the more a cheese tastes like a barnyard the better.
When I got the book Cheese, Sex, Death from Abrams Books as the next installment of #AbramsDinnerParty it was obviously a great reason to blackout in the cheese department at my local co-op and spend a lot of dollars. Erika Kubick (@cheesesexdeath on IG) has made preaching the curd word into a reading experience like none other.
What I like about this book is the humorous aspect that plays on religion and makes it cheese-based. Like the Flying Spaghetti Monster but cheesy. As a proud heathen, I find this comprehensive history of Cheesus both illuminating and inspiring. Think close-ups of the world’s best cheeses, beverage pairings, and suggestions for making the most memorable cheese plate at every event.
So we have cheese, sex, and death. But what about The Night When No One Had Sex? This YA book from Albert Whitman is a fun romp with believable teen characters and the travails of a pact centered around Prom Night. Author Kalena Miller gives us a lovely bit of queer, chronic illness, and Korean American representation (among other things)!
A group of teens have the use of Zoe’s Uncle’s cabin for the night after prom, and the plan is to get busy. Ya know…that kind of busy. But of course, things go awry in a variety of ways. One of my favorite things about the book was the group chat they all have, and the hilarious chat names they change it to (I also do this with my besties). The dialogue and characters are really believable and having a sex-positive YA book is a delight as well as a massive resource for readers.
At least if no one is having sex, they can eat some fancy cheese?
Both of these books were kindly sent by publishers, but all opinions and decisions to pair are my own!