Aromanticism isn’t discussed much even in queer spaces. Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week is a great time to seek out aromantic books, and I have a couple of recs and resources for you.
You can find out more about Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week, aromanticism resources and educational material, how to be an ally to aro people, and more at the Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week website.
Bookish Goods
Aromantic Cupid Shirt by dragonwage
For Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week, I couldn’t resist this aro cupid batting away hearts, especially in the wake of Valentine’s Day. $27+
New Releases
Scorched Grace: A Sister Holiday Mystery by Margot Douaihy (Queer Mystery)
This is the highly anticipated first book to be published by Gillian Flynn Books, and it is a mystery starring a queer nun. I know you’ve already clicked away to order it, but just in case anyone’s still reading: When Saint Sebastian’s School is targeted with multiple arson attacks, Sister Holiday decides to investigate for herself, but the case soon turns her against colleagues and forces her to face her own dark past.
Why I Adopted My Husband by Yuta Yagi (Gay Manga Memoir)
This nonfiction manga title follows Yuta and Kyota as they meet, fall in love, and eventually find a loophole in gay marriage being illegal in Japan: one adopts the other. Interestingly, this is the same strategy bestselling author Nobuko Yoshiya used to adopt her wife in the 1950s, enabling them to receive legal benefits they otherwise couldn’t. This looks like an adorable love story that also explores what it has been like to be gay in Japan over the last 20 years.
On a Woman’s Madness by Astrid Roemer, translated by Lucy Scott (Queer Fiction)
The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes (Sapphic Historical Fiction)
Idol Minds by KT Salvo (Gay K-Pop Romance)
For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding (F/F Romance)
The Best Man’s Problem by Sera Taíno (M/M Romance)
Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder (Queer Horror)
The Orc and Her Bride by Lila Gwynn (Sapphic Fantasy)
A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne (Lesbian Cozy Fantasy)
Never Satisfied, Vol. 1 by Taylor Robin (Nonbinary Fantasy Graphic Novel)
Run Away With Me, Girl Vol. 2 by Battan (Yuri Manga)
SCRAMBLUES by mame march (M/M Manga)
Futari Escape, Vol. 2 by Shouichi Taguchi (Yuri Manga)
Last Gender, Vol. 2 by Rei Taki (LGBTQ Manga)
Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk, Vol. 3 by Toru (LGBTQ Manga)
The Flower That Seems to Truly Dance by Saki Tsukahara (M/M Historical Manga)
Hirano and Kagiura by Shou Harusono and Kotoko Hachijo (BL Light Novel)
Marry Me a Little: A Graphic Memoir by Robert Kirby (Gay Graphic Memoir)
Transitional by Munroe Bergdorf (Trans Nonfiction)
I Am Ace: Advice on Living Your Best Asexual Life by Cody Daigle-Orians (Asexual Nonfiction)
Am I Trans Enough? by Alo Johnston (Trans Nonfiction)
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
It’s Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week! This is one of the identities under the LGBTQ umbrella that gets the least representation. So let’s talk about some books that put aromantic people in the spotlight!
Sounds Fake but Okay: An Asexual and Aromantic Perspective on Love, Relationships, Sex, and Pretty Much Anything Else by Sarah Costello and Kayla Kaszyca
Sarah Costello, who is asexual and aromantic, and Kayla Kaszyca, who is demisexual and biromantic, are the hosts of the aromantic and asexual podcast Sounds Fake But Okay, and in this book, they ask readers to put on aspec spectacles and “rethink everything you thought you knew about society, friendship, sex, romance and more.”
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Elatsoe is an asexual, aromantic Lipan Apache teenage girl who sees ghosts. So when her deceased cousin comes to visit, it’s not his ghost that surprises her; it’s his message. He didn’t die from a car crash. He was murdered. Now she, her friends, and her family have to track down the killer, or no one else will. This is part fantasy, part horror, part murder mystery.
For more, check out these aromantic book lists at LGBTQ Reads and author Claudie Arseneault’s blog.
All the Links Fit to Click
Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Romance of 2023
Book Releases: Bi & Pan Books of January-June 2023
Over 180 Writers Sign an Open Letter to The New York Times Over Anti-Trans Bias
That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at my sapphic book blog, the Lesbrary. You can also hear me on All the Books or you can read my Book Riot posts.
Happy reading!
Danika