Killer queer mermaids! Do I have your attention yet?
But before we get there, an update on the Trans Rights Readathon: lots of people are continuing through to March 31st, Transgender Day of Visibility, and putting their donations towards Mercury Stardust‘s fundraiser for Point of Pride, which provides financial support for trans healthcare. This is a great time to donate!
I’ve been promoting Book Riot’s newest newsletter, The Deep Dive, for a bit. Recently, the first one written by me went out! It’s about queer characters who write themselves out of tragedy, from video games to movies to — of course — books. I really enjoyed this chance to write in depth about something that means a lot to me. To see it and all the other articles, subscribe and choose your membership level today at bookriot.substack.com
Bookish Goods
The Sea Princesses Mermaid Lovers by felixdeon
I love Felix d’Eon’s paintings, which feel like you’ve stumbled on some hidden queer artwork from an earlier age. Since this newsletter has a mermaid theme, I had to feature this gorgeous painting, available in two sizes. $68
New Releases
Chlorine by Jade Song (Sapphic Horror)
I cannot resist a sapphic mermaid story. Add in a horror element, and that’s even better. Ren Yu is a swimmer who is dedicated to her sport — but she has long been secretly obsessed with mermaids…the kind of powerful, deadly mermaids that pull sailors under to their death. She’ll do anything to have that kind of freedom. Anything.
Rainbow History Class: Your Guide Through Queer and Trans History by Hannah McElhinney (Queer and Trans Nonfiction)
Queer history has long been suppressed, and you’re lucky if it was taught in your school history classes. This illustrated history book inspired by the TikTok account starts at the ancient world and goes up to the present day, making it a great primer for anyone unfamiliar with how we got to where we are now.
Queer Little Nightmares edited by David Ly and Daniel Zomparelli, narrated by Danielle Verayo (Queer Horror) (Audiobook Rerelease)
Loki’s Ring by Stina Leicht (LGBTQ Science Fiction)
More Sure by A. Light Zachary (Nonbinary Poetry)
Why Don’t You Eat Me, My Dear Wolf? by Ao Koishikawa (Fantasy BL Manga)
The Heavy Bright by Cathy Malkasian (Queer Graphic Novel)
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Chlorine has got me in the mood for dark sapphic mermaid stories, so here are a few of my favorites! Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant and Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner — now also available as a graphic novel — are some of the most well-known examples of this microgenre, but here are two more you might not know about.
New Suns‘s “The Freedom of the Shifting Sea” by Jaymee Goh
I don’t usually recommend a single story in an anthology, but I don’t usually have a story stick with me like this one did. The author describes it as a “pornographic triptych of three different individuals encountering a creature part human, part bobbit worm” — not exactly a mermaid, but I’m including it. This is for the monster erotica fans, with a heavy dose of revenge against misogynists.
The Little Homo Sapiens Scientist by S.L. Huang
As the name suggests, this is a reverse version of “The Little Mermaid” about a human who studies the atargati (oops, I shouldn’t call them mermaids, either!). There’s gender discussion — the atargati don’t have a concept of gender — a queer identity crisis, and more. This is a retelling of the original “Little Mermaid,” not the Disneyfied version, so keep that expectation in mind!
All the Links Fit to Click
Let’s keep the Trans Rights Readathon party going!
- The Trans Rights Readathon Is Highlighting Trans Authors and Fighting Unjust Laws
- This Nonbinary Author Wants You To Read As Many Trans Books As You Can This Week To Raise Money for Trans Rights
- 16 Books By Trans Authors To Read During The Trans Rights Readathon
I’m glad to see this got so much media coverage.
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