I’m back! I had a very luxurious few days off doing nothing, which included making some truly terrible cinnamon buns that I rescued by making them into cinnamon roll bread pudding. Also, I watched The Great Pottery Throw Down. It was a very cozy long weekend. Now, let’s get into the books!
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Today I wanted to highlight Black Trans Advocacy, which advocates for health, housing, and employment equality for Black trans people. You can find out more about them on their website, and you can support them at their donation page.
Bookish Goods
Say Gay Bookmark by ShopGigiAndBo
Sometimes simple is best, like this bookmark that just says “gay”. $3+
New Releases
This week’s YA and kids’ LGBTQ new releases are disproportionately by white authors, which is disappointing.
My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron (Gay YA Retelling)
From the author of Cinderella is Dead and This Poison Heart comes a retelling of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Gabriel is a Black medical student falling for his friend Henry Jekyll, but Jekyll comes back from summer break consumed by fear of their relationship being found out — and soon, he exhibits other changes, too… You can hear my full thoughts on this one on the All the Books podcast!
The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio and Jenn St-Onge (Queer Middle Grade Fantasy Graphic Novel)
From the author of Kim & Kim and Eternity Girl, this is a middle grade “horror, mystery, or whatever” graphic novel, according to the cover. It’s the first in a series about Val and Lanie, two eighth grade friends in a small, boring town who accidentally summon a demon. Lanie is queer and Val is autistic.
So You Wanna Be A Pop Star?: A Choices Novel by Zachary Sergi (Queer YA Contemporary)
Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood (Bisexual YA Fantasy)
No Horses in the House!: The Audacious Life of Artist Rosa Bonheur by Mireille Messier and Anna Bron (Queer Nonfiction Picture Book)
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
I’m returning to the Read Harder Challenge, this time with task #9: Read an independently published book by a BIPOC author. Romance is definitely the genre that’s found the most success with self-publishing, so I’ve highlighted a couple queer indie romances for you to check out.
Fall Into You by Georgina Kiersten
Imari left her would-be husband at the alter, and now it’s all anyone can talk about. She decides to move to the small town Appeley for a fresh start. Instead, she finds a familiar face at the fall apple festival: Cassidy, her childhood best friend. And she’s grown up to be a beautiful woman. This book promises positive fat representation, an autumnal atmosphere, coffeeshops, butch and stud representation, and more.
Work for It by Talia Hibbert
Many of your favorite romance authors, even if they’re typically published by the Big Five publishers, have some self-published books, too! Talia Hibbet is known for her Brown Sisters series, including Take a Hint, Dani Brown, which has a bisexual main character. Work for It is an angsty M/M romance with an ice king love interest. I don’t think I can improve on the description: “When the prettiest man I’ve ever hated shows up at my job…I’m not sure if I want to strangle him or drag him into bed.”
Another well-known romance author with an indie queer book is Alyssa Cole’s historical F/F romance That Could Be Enough.
All the Links Fit to Click
114 Queer and Feminist Books Coming Your Way Spring 2023
Fat Off, Fat On Author Clarkisha Kent on Why Her Younger Self Would Be Scandalized
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