Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got new releases for you and a bit of trans pride! We missed the Trans Day of Visibility by a couple of days…or did we? Because when you’re in my house, every day is Trans Day of Visibility, my loves. Be glorious today and every day! Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!
Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help with handpicked recommendations. Tell the Bibliologists at Tailored Book Recommendations about what you love and what you don’t. You can get your recommendations via email or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18! Subscribe today.
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here are two places to start: Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, which provides medical and humanitarian relief to children in the Middle East regardless of nationality, religion, or political affiliation; and Ernesto’s Sanctuary, a cat sanctuary and animal rescue in Syria that is near and dear to my heart.
Bookish Goods
Trans Cyborg Sticker by BoyPilotGoods
I saw a lot of hilarious T-shirts while looking for trans pride stuff (“Guess who failed their gender assignment” is one I’m still giggling about), but this sticker wins from the sci-fi angle. Hat tip and much love to all my trans cyborgs out there! $4
New Releases
Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell
Damelas used an archaic law to flee a judicial duel with the Vixen, one that allowed him to take the stage as an actor and use that role as a shield. But then, one night, a ghostly voice in his head forces a confession from him instead of the lines he’s practiced: the city’s greatest hero might, in fact, be a murderer and a traitor. With that ugliness in the open, Damelas has no choice but to try to unearth the full truth of the matter, not helped by the fact that most everyone around him wants him dead.
Darker by Four by June CL Tan
Rui has magic, but only one goal for it: to avenge the death of her mother. Yiran has no magic, and feels like a hollow shell, shunned by his family because of this lack that is not his fault. When an accident transfers Rui’s magic to Yiran, he feels he’s finally been given the life he should have had, while she’s left defenseless. but Rui may hold the key to the missing death god, and she can leverage that knowledge to get what she wants…she thinks.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
This year’s trans dar of visibility didn’t fall on a newsletter day, so I want to spotlight a couple of books by my fellow trans authors!
The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia
Firuz-e Jafari is a refugee in the Democratic City-State of Qilwa, escaping from the slaughter of traditional blood magic practitioners like themself. Firuz takes work as a healer in a free clinic, and all seems well…until a mysterious illness shows up, one that leaves bruises on its victims. When accusations of blood magic begin to surface, Firuz must solve the origin of the disease to save themself and their fellow refugees.
Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai
In this retelling of Frankenstein, Plum, an intern at an embryology lab, runs away from home to be with her girlfriend, only to be deserted. She ends up in the employ of Dr. Frank, a brilliant scientist who will happily compromise all she claims to hold dear in her pursuit of procreation without the need for sperm or egg. Their success, a carefully crafted creation, is quickly abandoned at birth due to complications that come at the hands of a twisted revenge.
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.