Juno Dawson is a bestselling author, screenwriter, columnist for Attitude Magazine, ambassador/ role model for the LGBTQIA+ charity Stonewall UK and occasionally, also an actress (did you catch her in Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You?) Juno Dawson’s books include; The Gender Games, This Book is Gay, Clean, Meat Market and her most recent YA novel, Wonderland – a re-telling of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Like most writers, Juno Dawson is an avid reader. She took to Twitter to share her top reads of 2020 and her thoughts on each title and it is a great list of books!
Sisters – Daisy Johnson
“My fave genre: YA or is it YA? Two intensely creepy sisters run from their past in this modern gothic. Suffocating and unnerving from the first page.”
Boy Parts – Eliza Clark
“I love a book that makes me question what’s real and what isn’t. A young woman straddles reality and dark fantasy, while trying to remain in control. An outstanding novel.”
Expectation – Anna Hope
“A novel exploring the bit somewhere between 25 and 35 where SHIT GETS REAL. Darker than the cover suggests.”
Pine – Francine Toon
“Scottish Gothic. Enough said. Another IS IT YA? entry also.”
Diary of a Confused Feminist – Kate Weston
“In a year where I’ve read far too little YA, Kate’s debut was funny and fresh and deserves its comparisons to Louise Rennison.”
Burn – Patrick Ness
“Lord knows where I’ve put it, but Burn reimagines 1950s small town America with dragons. Ness is always excellent but this could be my fave since since his Chaos Walking days.”
Reverie – Ryan La Sala
“Sometimes I think YA is getting predictable but then a novel like this reminds me of the boundary-pushing potential of YA. Bonkers, triumphant and queer as fuck.”
What Have I Done – Laura Dockrill
“Harrowing and funny, Laura shares her experience of post-natal psychosis with a unsentimental, unflinching honesty.”
Pretending – Holly Bourne
“I thought this was going to be a comedy (and it frequently is) but Holly is adept at exploring the true horror of “romance” like no one else.”
In their Shoes: Navigating Non-binary Lives – Jamie Windust
“A generous and kind introduction to non-binary life, told with great humour and charm.”
Sex Power Money – Sara Pascoe
“Very funny exploration of sexuality and evolution and sex work. Allows the reader to make their own mind on the thorny issues.”
After the Silence – Louise O’Neill
“Her most commercial novel, this thriller is also a disturbing account of coercive control.”
Witches: The Transformative Power of Women Working Together – Sam George-Allen
“Essays on different groups of women (nuns, dancers, sex workers, actual witches) working together to create powerful change.”
How many of Juno Dawson’s reading recommendations have you read this year?
Word of the Day – Promulgate
For Reading Addicts Book of the Year 2024
Word of the Day – Preponderate
