Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, with new releases and a couple LGBTQ book recommendations. It’s that time of year again already — the kids are going back to school and the college students aren’t going to be far behind them. Congratulations to all of you who have survived the summer with your progeny at home. (And for the rest of us, watch out for that student housing move-in traffic if you’re in a college town.) Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here’s somewhere to start: NDN Collective and Jane’s Due Process.
Bookish Goods
Crochet Dragon Bag Pattern by Cottontailandwhisker
This is a neat little bag that you can crochet — this is only a pattern, not a finished product. But hey, if you’re crafty like me (haha), it looks like a fun and not infuriating project! $6
New Releases
The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri
Armed with the prophecy of the nameless god and an army of loyal men, Malini has set her course: she will be the rightful empress of Parijatdvipa, but her brutal and malicious brother still stands in her way, and he will not let go of the throne while he lives. While Priya might long to stay at Malini’s side, the magic she carries and the fact that she is now a thrice-born priestess demand that she walk her own path if she will see her country free and the sickness that haunts it cured. But even as they are distant, the souls and fates of these two women remain intertwined — and soon they will realize that it is only together that they can save their lands.
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
Mars has been the lesser twin all his life, always overshadowed by his sister Caroline and barred from family traditions because of his genderfluidity. But when Caroline dies under terrible circumstances, he goes to see what he can learn about her at the prestigious (and political) Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy by attending in her place. He soon discovers a group of girls called the Honeys, once Caroline’s friends, who he is sure have something to do with her death. But with each passing day, his memories become less certain, and soon he realizes that something that can toy with his mind is hunting him in broad daylight…
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
On theme with our two new releases this week, here’s some more fantasy with LGBTQ characters!
Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner
The island of Eriana Kwai is plagued by mermaids who use their beauty to lure men to their deaths. Every year, the island sends its strongest warriors to try to stop these mermaids in the Massacre. Every year, the warriors do not return. Short on warriors — and men — the new strategy is to send battle-trained girls against this threat. Meela is one of those girls; she already lost her brother in the Massacre, and she is determined to become a ruthless killer of mermaids. But this may not be as easy as she believes…
Penhallow Amid Passing Things by Iona Datt Sharma
Penhallow is an honorable smuggler scrambling to keep her family together after one of her boys is brought up before the magistrates. But while she tries to keep him from jail or worse, it seems there’s something magical and very nasty in the smuggler’s caves that help make her livelihood, and soon that will be her problem as well.
See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.