Happy Lesbian Visibility Day Eve! It’s never a bad time to read a lesbian book, but it’s a good excuse.
Did you see that Kevin Bacon is running a campaign to raise money for the ACLU’s Drag Defense Fund? You can buy a Drag is an Art, Drag is a Right shirt, tote bag, notebook, or mug — or donate directly.
What’s the secret behind Colleen Hoover’s explosive popularity? What’s the best reading tracker for power readers? And do you really *need* to read more this year? Check out these thoughts and more from experts in the world of books and reading by subscribing to Book Riot’s newest newsletter, The Deep Dive. Subscribe and choose your membership level today at bookriot.substack.com
Bookish Goods
The Moon Is A Lesbian Enamel Pin by Abprallen
Of course, for Lesbian Visibility Day, I had to represent one of the most visible lesbians: the moon. $10
New Releases
Rosewater by Liv Little (Queer Fiction)
This one has been getting a ton of buzz — in fact, Goodreads named it a Buzziest Debut Novel of 2023. It follows Elsie, a queer Black 28-year-old poet who finds herself floundering when she’s evicted. She calls up her old friend, Juliet, who she hasn’t spoken to in a year. Soon, she’s crashed on her couch and deciding what to do next between Drag Race reruns. This is being compared to Queenie and Luster.
Just as You Are by Camille Kellogg (Queer Romance)
Liz works for a queer magazine that’s saved from shuttering when it’s bought out by two rich lesbians — but the acquisition comes with a whole lot of cuts and changes that Liz chafes against. When she has to work closely with her new boss Daria, she’s sure her snark will get her fired, but instead Liz finds herself reluctantly attracted to her. This one has a butch love interest and a gender-questioning main character.
The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher (Sapphic Fiction)
The Red Book of Farewells by Pirkko Saisio, translated by Mia Spangenberg (Queer Fiction)
Curious Minds by Rachel Gold (Sapphic Romance)
Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard, narrated by Jennifer Aquino Sapphic Fantasy (Audiobook Rerelease)
Remnants of Filth: Yuwu (Novel) Vol. 1 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou (BL Historical Fantasy)
Mermaid Huntress: An Ice Massacre Graphic Novel (Volume 1 and Volume 2) by Tiana Warner, April Pierce, and Riah LeBlanc (Sapphic Fantasy Graphic Novel) (Rerelease)
Decapitated Poetry by Ko-Hua Chen, translated by Wen-Chi Li and Colin Bramwell (Queer Poetry)
My Yellow Heart by VI Khi Khi Nao (Queer Poetry)
Not Everyone is Going to Like You: Thoughts From a Former People Pleaser by Rinny Perkins (Queer Graphic Essays)
Men at War: Loving, Lusting, Fighting, Remembering 1939-1945 by Luke Turner (LGBTQ History)
Baby Making for Everybody: Family Building and Fertility for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents by Marea Goodman LM CPM and Ray Rachlin LM CPM (LGBTQ Nonfiction)
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Tomorrow is Lesbian Visibility Day! Let’s celebrate with some lesbian books. Of course, there are many to choose from in a huge range of genres, styles, tones, formats, and more, but here are a couple options.
The Verifiers by Jane Pek
Claudia is a Chinese American lesbian who has just been recruited to a dating detective agency. She’s supposed to be verifying users’ online identities, making sure they’re not lying about themselves, but when a client disappears, she goes outside the parameters of her job to investigate — and finds a lot more than what she bargained for, including corporate wrongdoing.
This is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow
This is one of my favourite books, and it deserves way more attention. It follows three main characters: Dia, Jules, and Hanna. They used to be in a band together in high school, but then their friendship blew up. Now they have to come back together to participate in a battle of the bands with a big prize. One of the main characters is a lesbian and there’s a cute F/F romance. Each of the three friends are dealing with big life issues — including alcoholism recovery, being a young mom, and grief — and they will have to find a way to navigate their new relationships to each other. (Also, how gorgeous is that cover?)
Okay, just one more bonus rec if you’re looking for a lesbian romance: D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C Higgins.
For even more, check out 10 Books That Actually Use the Word Lesbian to Describe Their Characters, 15 of the Best Fantasy Lesbian Audiobooks, and 8 Remarkable Black Lesbian Fiction Books.
All the Links Fit to Click
LGBTQ+ book bans are ‘actively harming children’, authors warn
9 Poets With New Queer Books To Check Out This National Poetry Month
9 Steamy Novels Featuring Bisexual Romances
Frog and Toad on Apple TV needs to be gay or else what’s the point?
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