This was as close to perfect a read becomes to me. I instantly fell in love with both main characters, Arthur and Gabriel, and along the way I fell in love with the majority of the supporting cast as well, including Arthur's meddling mother Corinna Anderson, his nephew Thomas and sister. Both Arthur and Gabriel are adult men, Arthur being 40 and Gabriel being 36, and neither one of them is that perfect overly human her-type or even anywhere close to being one. They look like people do most, unruly hair, a bit of a belly, too lanky, too tall or too short, glasses, siren red hair ... just normal, just the way I like it.In according to a wonderful set of characters, this book has several important themes that I simply love to read about; gender stereotypes, libraries, literature and reading. And above all that what we see on the outside is not always what's truly there on the inside, and of course the statement Arthur makes to his sister wen she is trying in misguided protection of her son, to forbid him to take Soupy, the doll to the library story time with him. Whether Thomas is gay or not banning the doll won't hep matters, it will only make it worse. Oh, how I wish more will be done in our societies to show that gender stereotypes are just that - stereotypes and that together we can help change them for everybody's benefit.Perfect holiday reading, or when ever your in the mood for a sweet and emotional impact. This was quite an enjoyable read. The head-hopping between Gabriel and Arthur was a bit annoying (it often happened in the middle of a chapter, so it was sometimes hard to follow), but not too much. The story itself was quite sweet, with some angst in-between. I loved how the author handled the gender issues, as well as the question of what a library should be. I also used to spend quite some time in the library, and I loved how my parents (usually my father) used to read to me and my sisters when we were little, so the book brought some nice memories back... (also, yay for comics! - my favourites were the Asterix books)If it weren't for the kinky M/M sex, I'd recommend this book to very many people - as it is, it will probably only have a small and specific readership, which is a pity, but I myself loved those parts as well, so I won't complain. ;)
What do You think about Sleigh Ride (2014)?
2.5 stars rounded up. Kinda cliche and forgettable. Stopped reading at 83% once MCs were together.
—festo
