FFAF: My Life in Books 2025

Intro

This is a fun bookish challenge that involves a number of life-milestone related prompts. I will see how many of these make sense versus are a bit of a stretch. I got the prompts from Secret Library Book Blog whose list can be found here. I also referenced Dini Panda Read's prompts which can be found here. Let's see how I do.

The Prompts and My Picks

In high school I was: Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel

People might be surprised by: Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart "Brittlestar" Reynolds

I will never be: Secretly Yours by Stephanie Rose

My fantasy job is: Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong

At the end of a long day I need: Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay

I hate: The Flirting Game by Lauren Blakely

I wish I had: A Tour to Die For by Michelle Chouinard

My family reunions always make me wonder about: The Wages of Silence by Erin FitzGerald

At a party you'd find me with: Annie, Juliet, and the Great-Tailed Grackle by Sandra LJ

I've never been to: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

A happy day includes: Nights with Him by Lauren Blakely

A motto I live by: The Bad Boy Rule by Maren Moore

On my bucket list is: One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

2025 was the year of: Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica

In 2025 I wanted to be: Unapologetically ADHD by Pete D. Wright and Nikki Kinzer

In 2025 I was the: The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

In 2025 I gained: Good Lookin' Cookin' by Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton-George

In 2025 I lost: The Girlfriend Zone by Lauren Blakely (this one is because I got engaged, not due to a break-up).

In 2025 I loved: Recommended Reading by Paul Coccia

In 2025 I learned: Everything is Spiritual by Rob Bell

In 2025 I missed out on: The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas

In 2025 my family were: Will the Drama Ever End? by Karyl McBride

In 2026 I hope it will be: Runnin' No More by G.T. Dípè

Outro

This was a lot of fun! While most of the answers to these prompts are pretty truthful, there are a few that I just had to pick a book to fit the prompt and call it a day. I highly recommend giving challenges like this a go! I hope to do many more in 2026 as they are honestly my favorite kind of blog post. 

WPS Author Interview Day 7: Paul Coccia

WPS Author Interview Day 7: Paul Coccia

Welcome to day 7 of the Wonderland Pride Spotlight author interviews! Today I am interviewing Paul Coccia. To see all of the spotlight posts created by my lovely community, head over to the hashtag #wonderlandpridespotlight over on Instagram! 

Paul's Books

• Leon Levels Up
• Recommended Reading (I can personally attest that this one is lovely)
• On the Line
• The Player
• Cub
• Here & Now Volume 1 (part of this anthology)
• Here & Now Volume 2 (part of this anthology)
• The Annethology (part of this anthology)

The Interview

1. Are you LGBTQ+? If so, how?

"I’m gay, although use it interchangeably with queer. I’m also a bear."

2. What books of yours have LGBTQ+ representation, and what rep do they have?

"All my books have queer rep in them. I include a broad spectrum of queerness too, so some characters are gay, others bi or pan, lesbian, questioning, curious or sexually-fluid, and others are still simply growing up and figuring themselves out and haven’t worked out their specific labels. I tend to include body-positivity in my books, so rep the bear/chub community, and I love to include drag performers, as well as characters who would fall into the demi and sapiosexual spectrums.

My most recent, Recommended Reading (YA) has gay, pan, lesbian, chub, and drag queen characters included in it."

3. Why do you think LGBTQ+ rep in books is important?

"LGBTQ+ rep opens up discussions that benefit everyone. It destigmatizes sex, sexuality, and desire, things we all experience, as well as helping people simply be who they are, a hard thing to do. Representation also creates a document that validates and legitimizes not only our existence, but our history."

4. What got you into writing?

"I always loved stories. Usually, my mom would read to me. My dad, who is not a reader, would read me comic books when I was quite young. I saw them and knew I wanted to make them. I am not skilled enough to illustrate, but I can write a story, and maybe one day I will try to write a graphic novel because I still love comic books."

5. Who is a queer figure you look up to?

"My brother, who is a drag queen. I think he’s incredibly brave. What he does is subversive and transformative. I’m so proud of him and find his courage and artistic expression inspiring.

Outside of my immediate family, I love Divine for her irreverence and boldness, plus the John Waters’ movies and awesome music catalogue. She was an unlikely icon, but all the things that shouldn’t have worked came together perfectly."

Top 5 Tuesday: LGBTQ+ Romances

Top 5 Tuesday: Books Want to Reread Someday

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday! I'm here and feeling queer so let's bring that beautiful energy to this week's prompt. 

This week's prompt is..... LGBTQ+ romances

All different kinds of LGBTQ+ representation are here. These are all books I have read this year. I will outline what representation each one has so if you are looking for a specific identity, you can find it. Just keep in mind while the MCs in all of these are queer, some of the listed representations are side characters.

#1 has gay, pansexual, lesbian, and drag queen

#2 has gay, trans, and pansexual

#3 has gay and lesbian

#4 has gay and bisexual

#5 has gay

1. Recommended Reading by Paul Coccia
2. Conflict Mediation by DC Emerson
3. Runnin' No More by GT Dipe
4. Cross My Heart by Shae Ruby
5. When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic 😁

See you all next Tuesday for another (admittedly less queer) top 5!

January 2025 Reads

 January 2025 Reads

This month I read 15 books 

These books were 80 % fiction (my lowest ever)

They were 0% physical, 33% digital, and 67% audio

The most popular genres were romance, contemporary, and LGBTQ+

My average rating was 4.1 stars

My longest reading day was January 3rd

The Books

➽ Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica

➽  The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas

➽ Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

➽ Good Lookin' Cookin' by Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George

➽ Streams and Schemes by Rebecca Kinkade

➽ When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao

➽ Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

➽ Recommended Reading by Paul Coccia

➽ So You Want a #BOOKBOYFRIEND? by Ariana St. Claire

➽ The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

➽ Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeny

➽ Unapologetically ADHD by Peter D. Wright & Nikki Kinzer

➽ Bunny Season by Bindi Kennedy

➽ The Manicurist's Daughter by Susan Lieu

➽ Conflict Mediation by D.C. Emerson

Recommended Reading by Paul Coccia Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.25/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Matchmaker

➮ Friends to lovers

➮ Small town

➮ Miscommunication

➮ Grumpy x sunshine

Blurb

In this opposites-attract YA rom-com inspired by Emma, a failed romantic gesture puts a damper on a queer teen bookseller’s summer of book matching and matchmaking until a handsome lifeguard and romance skeptic waltzes into his bookstore. Sometimes you get a second chance at happily ever after when you least expect it...

Curvaceous, clever, and an avid reader, seventeen-year-old Bobby Ashton never misses a main character moment. So when it comes to asking out his crush, he plans a romantic gesture grand enough to go down in local history. Unfortunately, though, his extensive knowledge of every rom-com trope ever doesn’t prepare him for how tragically he misreads the situation. Suddenly Bobby’s very public romantic gesture turns into an ordeal so embarrassing it could be a villain origin story.

Having masterfully shattered every plan for his perfect summer before college, Bobby’s last resort is working at his uncle’s sleepy bookstore. Soon, Bobby is expertly recommending books for customers to perfectly cure what ails them. Attempting to rebound after a breakup? There’s a book for that. Trying to tame your crochety coworker? There’s a book for that too. Then a plot twist Bobby never saw coming walks through the door in the form of Luke, an unfairly attractive and staunchly anti-romantic lifeguard.

Bobby’s blossoming connection with Luke reminds him of some of his favorite tropes: grumpy sunshine, quippy banter, and even forced proximity. But after his last romantic disaster, should Bobby use all the tricks in his arsenal to turn Luke’s head? Or is he misreading all the signs again? Do grand gestures really need to be so…grand?

LGBTQ+ Representation

5/5 🌈

This one has all of the rep you could possibly ask for. It has gay, lesbian, pansexual, drag queen, and ally representation. Every queer character in this book is unapologetically queer and it is a notable part of their character. Some are much more open about their identity while others are more quiet about it which reflects real life quite well. 

My Thoughts

This story was so camp which definitely grew on me as the story went on. At first, I will admit, Bobby's blunders felt like a lot and were a bit of a cringe factor but Coccia let the rest of the story unfold in such a way that it totally made up for it and made for a surprisingly well-rounded character. 

Bobby went from a bumbling idiot to someone who sometimes actually looks before he leaps. The genuine character development is what made this story special. I was genuinely nervous at first that the only redeeming quality about him would be how purely camp he was. Luke was a true catalyst for him to grow simply by showing him another perspective. Their eventual communication was genuine and refreshing. 

Seeing an unapologetically gay and plus-sized MC was refreshing. I hope this openness and pride continue throughout more releases this year. It can make many queer people feel more seen in literature. 

My favorite character by far in this story was Gladys (the OG, read the story and you will know what I mean). Her wit and quips towards Bobby were the best. Seeing her slowly warm up was the best. Characters like her are one of my favorite microtropes. 

I received this book as an arc from Hear Our Voices. My review is honest and voluntary.