Category: Our Queerest Shelves

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

MELISSA by Alex Gino Gets a New Cover! 🎉

I’m sad to see Halloween month go, but I feel like I used it well, picking up lots of queer and creepy reads. We watched a horror movie on Halloween night, but unfortunately it turned out to be… disappointing. The visuals of exploring an underwater house were A+, though.

I’ve been highlighting a new queer charity every week, but I want to return to a few that I’ve mentioned before. If you have an LGBTQ charity that you think deserves a shout-out, please let me know!

Today I wanted to remind you of The Okra Project, “a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever we can reach them.” You can find out more on their website and can support them on their donation page.

Queering the Abbey: Books About Sapphic Nuns

The first time I saw that a book about lesbian nuns existed, I was extremely surprised. Now, I’ve read a few books about the subject, though, it’s not shocking at all. For many women in primarily Christian countries throughout history, becoming a nun was one of the few options available for them that didn’t involve marrying a man. Many nuns have also led social movements, fighting for social justice. And, of course, sex-segregated spaces often become associated with same sex relationships. If you’re curious, here are a few books about sapphic nuns worth reading.

Kicking the Habit cover

Kicking the Habit by Jeanne Cordova

Pick this one up for a look at what being a queer nun was like — or, at least training to a nun. Cordova had been dreaming of being a nun since she was a kid, and is an eager postulant. Soon, though, she begins to discover more about herself and the convent (why are they so strict about “particular friendships?”), and why this isn’t the best place for her. For more autobiographical stories from sapphic nuns, also check out Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence. You can see where Cordova ended up by reading her next memoir, When We Were Outlaws.

Verge cover

Verge by Z. Egloff

Claire is a disaster. She’s ruined just about everything in her life by drinking too much and sleeping with the wrong people. She’s trying to piece things together and stay sober, but it’s not going very well. Then she meets Sister Hilary and somehow agrees to start volunteering at the community center she runs. Unsurprisingly, she immediately falls for this woman. What is surprising, though, is that these feelings are reciprocated.

cover of Matrix by Lauren groff, featuring wavy gold lines radiating out of the center

Matrix by Lauren Groff

Yes, I was outraged when I found out that Lauren Groff’s new book was about a 12th century sapphic nun and nobody told me. Matrix is about Marie, a 17 year old who is in love with Eleanor of Aquitaine. Then, she’s suddenly shipped off to be in charge of a falling apart abbey. Marie rises to the occasion, finding ways to take care of her community inside and outside the abbey walls. Sexual relationships between the nuns are commonplace, and besides reassuring herself that “female sodomy” isn’t forbidden by any religious texts, Marie is unconcerned about them.

Censorship News

Unfortunately, LGBTQ books getting challenged warrants its own section this week.

Buckle up for some rage reading: Iowa School Board Candidate Wants to Share The Name of Every Kid Who Checks out Pro-LGBTQ Books.

Teen LGBTQ, sex education book (This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson) in Lafayette Parish library challenged as pornography.

Gender Queer cover

Kenai teachers speak out against censorship of LGBTQ books in the district.

Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer: A Memoir, responds to the wave of challenges against eir book: Schools are banning my book. But queer kids need queer stories. (This article is a mix of comics and essay from Kobabe!)

You might remember an earlier news story about a couple in Gillette, Wyoming trying to sue library workers for carrying LGBTQ and sex ed books. The prosecutor has decided there aren’t grounds for charges.

All the Links Fit to Click

Melissa cover

And some good news: Alex Gino’s groundbreaking middle grade trans novel is getting a new title and cover! Say hello to Melissa!

Billy Porter will be directing the adaptation of Camp by L.C. Rosen!

The appeal of lesbian vampires is immortal.

Here are the 25 most fan fic-ed F/F TV couples of all time.

LGBTQ Reads has all the latest LGBTQ book deals.

Darcie Little Badger was featured in Time magazine, discussing her asexual YA book A Snake Falls To Earth.

Gabby Rivera was interviewed about centering queer Latinx joy in her storytelling.

Check out the cover reveal for The Oleander Sword, sequel to The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri.

Kal Penn (of Harold and Kumar) has come out as gay, is engaged to his fiancé, and has a new memoir out this week!

Diana Souhami wins 2021 Polari prize for No Modernism Without Lesbians and Mohsin Zaidi won the Polari first book prize for his book about growing up gay in a devout Muslim community, titled A Dutiful Boy: A Memoir.

Greedy: Notes From a Bisexual Who Wants Too Much by Jen Winston was reviewed and discussed at Autostraddle, and Winston was interviewed at Advocate.

LGBTQ Book Riot Posts

New Releases This Week

Publishing is starting to slow down a bit, as it usually does in November and December. We still have some great books out this week, but I am once again asking publishing to put out more queer books by authors of color!

A Marvellous Light cover

A Marvellous Light (The Last Binding #1) by Freya Marske (M/M Historical Fantasy)

This is being pitched as Red White & Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell! Due to a clerical error, Robin named liaison to a magical society — which is the first he’s hearing of the existence of magic. Edwin is unimpressed with his new coworker, especially because he clearly doesn’t have the right qualifications. But there’s a reason the spot is vacant: the position is cursed, and now Robin and Edwin have to work together to unravel a mystery that will change both their perceptions of the magical world. And along the way, they might become more than just reluctant coworkers.

Briar Girls cover

Briar Girls by Rebecca Kim Wells (Bisexual YA Fantasy)

Lena lives a sheltered life. Her family has been secretive and constantly moving her whole life, trying to hide that her touch kills. When a beautiful woman tells her that there’s a hidden magical world that holds the cure for her curse, she doesn’t hesitate. She runs away with her into the Silence — a magical and dangerous woods. But there, she realizes she can’t trust anyone, and that she may be interested in power more than normalcy.

Brickmakers by Selva Almada (Queer Fiction)

Blue-Skinned Gods by SJ Sindu (Queer Fiction)

Blue-Skinned Gods cover

Unexpected Goals by Kelly Farmer (F/F Romance)

The God of Lost Words (Hell’s Library #3) by A.J. Hackwith (Pansexual Fantasy)

Moth by Michael Takeda (Bisexual Genderfluid Fantasy)

Parting the Veil by Paulette Kennedy (Queer Horror)

Fat Angie: Homecoming by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo (Sapphic Contemporary YA)

Going Viral by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc (F/F Contemporary YA)

Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brockenbrough (YA Fantasy)

You Can’t Be Serious cover

Girls of Fate and Fury (Girls of Paper and Fire#3) by Natasha Ngan (F/F YA Fantasy)

Faith: Greater Heights by Julie Murphy (Bisexual YA Superheroes)

This Is My Real Name by Cid V Brunet (Non-binary Memoir)

Solid Ivory by James Ivory (Gay Memoir)

You Can’t Be Serious by Kal Penn (Gay Memoir)

That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at the Lesbrary as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear me on All the Books on the first Tuesday of the month, read my Book Riot posts, and watch my weekly New Releases videos on the Book Riot Youtube channel. You can bet I sneak in as many queer titles as I can.

Happy reading!

Danika

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Read These Books for Asexual Awareness Week!

Last weekend, I participated in Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon and had a great time! I stuck to mostly queer horror and otherwise Halloween-ish reads, and I had a lot of success. The Luminous Dead is an excellent creepy sapphic sci fi read (especially to absorb all 400 pages in basically one sitting), When I Arrived at the Castle is a disturbing sapphic vampire graphic novel that is equal parts horror and erotic, and Mooncakes was just as delightful as everyone always says it is.

Today, I wanted to highlight The National Center for Transgender Equality, which “advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people.” You can find out more at their website and support them at the donation page.

An Asexual, Queer Found Family Historical YA Novel

I usually write a general post or a list in this space, but I just read a fascinating queer book I had to talk to you about. It also has an asexual main character, and this is Asexual Awareness Week, so it’s all coming together!

The cover of The Reckless Kind

I picked up The Reckless Kind by Carly Heath for the November 2nd episode of All the Books. I couldn’t resist the premise: an asexual, queer found family, M/M romance YA novel set in 1904 Norway? Now that’s something I haven’t read before.

Luckily, it completely lived up to my hopes. It has three point of view characters: Aster, Gunnar, and Erland. Aster is an asexual (and probably aromantic?) girl who’s deaf in one ear and has Waardenburg Syndrome. She doesn’t really fit in to their small town, but she finds community and meaning in theater. There, she befriends Gunnar and Erland.

Gunnar is a Fuglestad, a “heathen” family. They’re vegetarians, they don’t go to church, and they’re generally considered outsiders — except that they’re also the only place to get your horses shoed, and they’re also the town’s de facto veterinarians. Gunnar also loves the theater — and Erland. It’s not long before the two start a secret love affair.

Erland comes from a wealthy French family who shower him in wealth (they built the playhouse for him), but also expect him to uphold their family’s values and behave in a particular way. Erland has no interest in those expectations, though, or his wealth. He is devoted to Gunnar, and nothing else matters to him.

In short succession, though, the three find themselves in a very difficult situation. (This all happens in the first few chapters.) Gunnar’s mother dies, and Gunnar loses his arm in the same accident. Their family’s farm is in debt, and they’ll soon lose it. Aster breaks off her engagement to a man she has no feelings for, and he attacks Gunnar in his rage, seriously injuring and possibly paralyzing him. Erland walks away from his family (and their money) to stay with Gunnar. Now it’s just the three of them, trying to figure out how to survive — and to save the Fuglestad farm.

I was fascinated by how this book is simultaneously completely unique and yet feels familiar — what could be more wholesome than a plan to save the family farm? Especially when the only answer is for them to win the annual horse race to take home the cash prize. I loved the family they built together, taking care of each other even when it’s difficult.

I do want to give some content warnings for violence, injury, and suicide ideation. More specifically, Gunnar has a very difficult time adjusting to his disability, and he makes frequent morbid “jokes” and considers himself a burden to the people around him. The author mentions in the author’s note that she drew on her own experiences with lumbar spine trauma and wanted to represent the whole complex experience of disability and chronic pain.

This is a fascinating and heartwarming read that I think would be perfect for the holidays — it builds up to the Christmas horse race, and the themes of found family are perfect for the colder months when you want something cozy. Even though this deals with prejudice, violence, and grief, it’s a hopeful book that also celebrates queerplatonic relationships and queer love in general.

All the Links Fit to Click

Your rage read (or disappointment read) of the day: Margaret Atwood wades into TERF territory on Twitter and demonstrated the danger of “passive transphobia.”

Cover of Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace
An asexual sci fi novel

It’s Asexual Awareness Week! Here are some book recommendations with asexual main characters.

Bookstagram helps LGBTQ+ readers find community.

October is LGBTQ history month. These are 17 must-read books about queer history. And here are more, including picks for kids and teens.

This county had their first Drag Queen Story Hour! This article includes lots of great photos and absolutely zero backlash, which is refreshing.

On the other hand… Drag Queen Story Time opponent is elected president of Lafayette library board, and immediately tries to shrink the scope and mission of the library.

Aristotle and Dante cover
CW: transphobic and
homophobic violence

A Colorado middle school banned Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

Speaking of, here are some casting updates for the upcoming Aristotle and Dante adaptation.

How are LGBTQ historical romance book covers made?

Here’s how literary gatekeepers can advocate for Black trans women.

Read these sapphic YA witch books.

Listen to these queer audiobook retellings.

In today’s headlines I wasn’t expecting, Miller Lite sponsored a queer history book. It’s called Beers and Queer History and it’s by Dr. Eric Cervini.

cover of gideon the ninth
Sword lesbians.

“Yes, there are trans Amazons.” The new Nubia comic introduces the first trans Amazon character, Bia.

Here a preview of Harley Quinn Season 3, with lots of Poison Ivy/Harley Quinn.

On sword lesbians and The Locked Tomb series.

This butch/butch yuri manga Kickstarter has already met its goal, but you can still back it.

Billy Porter’s new memoir, Unprotected, was covered at NPR, the Washington Post, USA Today, and Good Morning America.

“The Subversive, Sapphic Spiritual Lives of Nuns in Matrix.”

Light from Uncommon Stars book cover
Trans & sapphic sci fi.

A New York Times review from 1954 of The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook by Gertrude Stein.

Ryka Aoki was interviewed at Locus Online about Light From Uncommon Stars.

Karina Manta was interviewed about coming out as bisexual as a figure skater as well as her new book, On Top of Glass.

Andrea Abi-Karam was interviewed about their book Villainy and queer liberation.

LGBTQ Book Riot Posts

New Releases This Week

cover of Dreaming of You by Melissa Lozada-Oliva

Dreaming Of You by Melissa Lozada-Oliva (Queer Novel in Verse)

This is a novel in verse about Melissa, a young Latinx poet who, at a low point in her life, is given the ability to bring a celebrity back from the dead. She picks Selena, of course. It discusses Latinidad, obsession, and queer identity — plus she performs karaoke in hell.

cover of Tink and Wendy

Tink and Wendy by Kelly Ann Jacobson (Bisexual YA Fantasy Retelling)

“What happens when Tinker Bell is in love with both Peter Pan and Wendy?” This is the story of Tinker Bell mourning Peter Pan and Wendy’s deaths, and recounting to Wendy’s granddaughter the whole sorry story that landed her here. It rotates between past and present of their love triangle, along with excerpts from Neverland: A History.

cover of Another Kind

Another Kind by Cait May and Trevor Bream (Non-Binary Middle Grade Fantasy Graphic Novel)

The six kids in Another Kind are not exactly human, but they have made a family for themselves, tucked away in a hidden place. But then their safe world is broken open, and they’ll have to find a way avoid The Collector, a monster searching for them. This has two non-binary characters.

Until We Fall by Nicole Zelniker (Trans Woman Fiction)

Sisters of the Great War by Suzanne Feldman (Sapphic Historical Fiction)

Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt (Trans Woman Horror)

We Light Up the Sky by Lilliam Rivera (Queer YA Science Fiction)

Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life by Alan Cumming (Bisexual Memoir)

That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at the Lesbrary as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear me on All the Books on the first Tuesday of the month, read my Book Riot posts, and watch my weekly New Releases videos on the Book Riot Youtube channel. You can bet I sneak in as many queer titles as I can.

Happy reading!

Danika

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

The New Superman is Bisexual! Also: Creepy Sapphic Boarding Schools

Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon approaches!! I have so many books on my TBR (almost all queer, of course). I will definitely not be able to read them all in 24 hours, but that leaves me plenty to choose from. They’re all creepy, horror, or otherwise October-appropriate. Almost as exciting as the books will be our Friday snack shopping. This grazing board post has definitely given me some ideas. If you join, we can cheer for each other on Twitter!

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.

Creepy Sapphic Boarding Schools

I hope you’re still in the mood for more Halloween-ish queer reads! Boarding schools are a classic setting for sapphic books, because they’re usually gender segregated. (I mean, looking at the yuri schoolgirl manga alone.) Boarding schools can also be extremely unsettling places, though. You’re removed from your home, your family, and your usual support system. The building itself may be old and ominous. The relationships between students can get intense and all-consuming. So if you want a claustrophobic, creepy, dark academia read, check these out.

The Moth Diaries cover

The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein

This one overlaps with last week’s list about queer vampires, since it’s a take on Carmilla. It’s written in a diary format, in which a student chronicles the strange and obsessive relationship between her roommate and a mysterious other student. This was also made into a movie starring Lily Cole.

A Lesson in Vengeance cover

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

I’m halfway through the audiobook for this one, and so far it’s exactly what I want from dark academia. Felicity has returned to her elite boarding school after a leave of absence. Last year, she became obsessed with the history of the school and the rumors of witchcraft that resulted in those historical murders. Soon after, her best friend (and secret girlfriend) died. She’s convinced the two events are connected, but when she meets Ellis, an accomplished young author who command every room, she finds herself being pulled back into this history and witchcraft. This book deals a lot with mental health issues, including hallucinations, so be aware of that when picking it up.

plain bad heroines by emily a danforth cover

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

This is an ambitious book that’s impossible to summarize, so I’ll just give some snippets: celesbians. Wasp-related body horror. Many generations of sapphic characters. A horror movie that may be haunted itself–or it may just be a marketing ploy. This is a very creepy book that will leave you thinking about it long after you finish it.

As I Descended cover

As I Descended by Robin Talley

This is a Macbeth reimagining, packed full of brooding, paranoia, and revenge plots. This begins as an atmospheric, unsettling read and then descends into horror territory. It’s a Southern Gothic with tons of queer characters–but also a high body count.

a line in the dark by malinda lo cover image

A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo

If you’d like less on the horror side and more on the thriller side, try this one. Jess is in love her best friend Angie, but she’s content to admire her from a distance–until Angie falls for Margot. Jess is sure Margot is bad for Angie, and the tension between the three of them soon culminates in an event that changes everything. This is about a toxic, jealous friendship much more than it is about the thriller or mystery elements.

Another take on boarding school mysteries is Miss Timmins’ School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy, which is from the point of view of a young (bisexual) teacher. It’s part murder mystery, part coming of age story.

SuperMutant Magic Academy cover

SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki

Finally, if you want something more on the “weird” side than the bloody side, I highly recommend SuperMutant Magic Academy. It’s told in vignettes (it was originally a webcomic) and isn’t a linear story, but there are significant sapphic characters. This is a boarding school for students with magical abilities, but they’re all very weird abilities. It’s another one on this list that deals with falling for your best friend, which is very relatable sapphic content.

All the Links Fit to Click

LGBTQ Book Riot Posts

New Releases This Week

Cover of Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw (Bisexual Horror)

If you’re still looking for a perfect Halloween read, this is the new release for you. An abandoned Heian-era mansion rests on the bones of a dead bride, its walls filled with the remains of the women killed to keep her company in the afterlife. It’s, of course, the perfect place for a party before a wedding–at least for these thrill-seeking guests. But the ghost bride is hungry… (This has a bisexual main character!)

The Days of Afrekete cover

The Days of Afrekete by Asali Solomon (Sapphic Fiction)

Inspired by Mrs. Dalloway (as well as Sula and Zami), this takes place during a dinner party Liselle is putting on for supporters of her husband’s failed bid for state legislature. Then she gets a call that says he might be investigated for corruption charges, and she starts to wonder what brought her to this point and this marriage. Meanwhile, her ex-girlfriend Selena is reminiscing about their relationship being the last time she was truly happy.

This is Our Rainbow cover

This is Our Rainbow edited by Katherine Locke & Nicole Melleby (LGBTQ Middle Grade Anthology)

This is the first middle grade LGBTQ+ anthology! It has both realistic and SFF stories, with a range of genres and identities represented. It has tons of fantastic authors, including Alex Gino, Mark Oshiro, Ashley Herring Blake, Justina Ireland, Molly Knox Ostertag, and so many more. I can’t wait to dive into this one!

Personal Attention Roleplay by Helen Chau Bradley (Queer Short Stories)

The Haunting Season cover

A Period of unCertainty by Sheryn Munir (F/F Fiction)

Game Over by Elliot Torres (Queer Fiction)

Of Trust & Heart by Charlotte Anne Hamilton (Lesbian Historical Romance)

Her Wolf in the Wild by Rien Gray (F/F Paranormal Romance)

What’s the Matter with Mary Jane? by Candas Jane Dorsey (Pansexual Mystery)

Another Name For the Devil by Mason Deaver (Non-binary, M/NB Supernatural Thriller)

Cover of Flowers For the Sea by Zin E Rocklyn

The Haunting Season by Sara Collins et al (Gay Main Characters Ghost Stories)

Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn (Sapphic Horror)

Azura Ghost (The Graven #2) by Essa Hansen (Ace-spec Main Character, Non-binary and Genderfluid Side Characters Science Fiction)

Perhaps the Stars (Terra Ignota Book 4) by Ada Palmer (Genderqueer Science Fiction)

Girl Crushed by Katie Heaney (F/F YA Contemporary) (Paperback release)

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore (Pansexual YA Contemporary) (Paperback release)

That Dark Infinity cover

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen (Demisexual YA Fantasy)

That Dark Infinity by Kate Pentecost (Bisexual YA Fantasy)

City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn (F/F YA Science Fiction)

On Top of Glass: My Stories as a Queer Girl in Figure Skating by Karina Manta (Bisexual YA Memoir)

Still Stace: My Gay Christian Coming-Of-Age Story: An Illustrated Memoir by Stacey Chomiak (Lesbian YA Graphic Memoir)

They’re So Flamboyant by Michael Genhart, illustrated by Tony Neal (Metaphorical Picture Book)

Unprotected cover

Unprotected by Billy Porter (Gay Memoir)

Bee Reaved by Dodie Bellamy (Bisexual Essays)

The Beginner’s Guide to Being a Trans Ally by Christy Whittlesey (Nonfiction)

A Socially Acceptable Breakdown by Patrick Roche (Queer Poetry)

That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at the Lesbrary as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear me on All the Books on the first Tuesday of the month, read my Book Riot posts, and watch my weekly New Releases videos on the Book Riot Youtube channel. You can bet I sneak in as many queer titles as I can.

Happy reading!

Danika

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Queer Witchy Reads for Your October TBR

As I’m writing this, I’m puppysitting my mom’s tornado of a teenage dog. He is adorable, but such a handful. (He’s a Mini Australian Shepherd/Cocker Spaniel mix.) I’m actually done work, but he’s finally settled down for a nap, and I know that as soon as I get up, he’s going to start tearing around the house again… so I might stay put and get a head start on tomorrow instead.

A photo of an overgrown black and white dappled puppy curled up in a dog bed
Finn being still for once in his life.

Today, I wanted to highlight the charity SAGE, which advocates and provides services for LGBT elders. You can find out more on their website and you can support them on their donation page.

Queer Witch Books for Your October TBR

After many years of anticipation, we’re finally seeing some queer witch books get published, especially in YA! I have all of them on my TBR, but there is happily now more than I can read in the near future. (So long, we waited! We pined for queer witch stories!) Still, I wanted to highlight some of the queer witch books that are most appropriate for your Halloween TBR. They are all atmospheric reads with a real autumnal feel, so get these before the leaves all fall!

Toil & Trouble cover

Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft edited by Jessica Spotswood & Tess Sharpe

Start here. This is a YA anthology with lots of different takes on witches. Not every story is queer, but 5 of them are. I loved how different each of these version of witches are, from the classic Halloween version to modern wiccans to a new take on soulmate marks. This makes for a perfect October read.

Power & Magic: The Queer Witches Comics Anthology cover

Power & Magic: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology

Another anthology, this one is a collection of different comics about queer witches of color. There is a mix of art styles as well as variations on the idea of witches/witchcraft. Some stories are horror, some humor, as well as drama and romance (mostly F/F).

Mooncakes cover

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu

If you like seasonal reads, but you don’t want anything too creepy, this is an adorable graphic novel starring a sapphic witch and a nonbinary werewolf. Both main characters are Chinese American, and Nova is hard of hearing. Also, Nova has two grandmas who own a magical bookstore together! So cute!

the lost coast cover

The Lost Coast by A. R. Capetta

This is an eerie, atmospheric read about a group of queer witches looking for their lost friend — except their friend is there in front of them, with nothing behind her eyes. This is an unsettling book that is told from many different points of view, including from the trees’ perspective! The setting in the redwoods is so evocative and memorable. There is also a ton of different queer identities represented, including nonbinary characters, and there is queer sexuality on the page in a way that is still rare in YA.

Payback's a Witch cover

Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper

If you want to get punched in the face by Halloween, this is the read for you. It’s also got a revenge plot against a gross dude, a spellcasting tournament, and a F/F romance with a ton of sexual tension. This is set in a town populated by 4 magical families, but it also doubles as a Halloween tourist trap, so the whole book is dripping Halloween vibes.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

While, unsurprisingly, most queer witch books are sapphic, there are some exceptions, including this one and The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag. Cemetery Boys is about a trans brujo who wants to prove his identity to his family, and so attempts to summon the ghost of his cousin to help solve his murder — magic only brujos can do. Except he accidentally summons Julian instead, who refuses to leave — and soon Yadriel doesn’t want him to. I mean, cemetery is right there in the title, and there’s a romance with a ghost: this is a great October read.

That’s only scratching the surface of queer witch reads, though! Hopefully by this time next year, I have lots more to recommend.

All the Links Fit to Click

LGBTQ Book Riot Posts

New Releases This Week

Another queer book out this week is our sponsor, so check that out, too!

The Other Man cover

The Other Man by Farhad J. Dadyburjor (Gay Fiction)

Ved Mehra is heir to a successful Mumbai business empire and he’s newly engaged. There’s just one problem with his perfect life: he’s closeted and has no interest in the woman he’s been arranged to marry. Then he meets Carlos, and suddenly he can envision a new future for himself, one that’s worth the risk. His engagement party is days away, though, and he’ll have to make some big steps to change his life and get a chance at genuine happiness.

A Snake Falls To Earth cover

A Snake Falls To Earth by Darcie Little Badger (Asexual Fantasy)

If you’re a fan of Elatsoe, you’ll have been eagerly anticipating Darcie Little Badger’s second YA fantasy. This one follows two main characters: Nina, a Lipan girl who believes in the stories of worlds beyond our own; and Oli, an outcast cottonmouth from a world of gods and monsters. Soon, their worlds collide, and they have to work together to save both worlds. This is based on Lipan Apache storytelling, and it has an asexual main character.

Madder cover

Madder: a Memoir in Weeds by Marco Wilkinson (Queer Memoir)

This is an experimental memoir that explores Wilkinson’s family roots in Uruguay and Rhode Island through the metaphor of plants. The author is a poet and a horticulturalist, and this work blends together the genres of memoir and poetry. Set aside some time to fall into this story, which — like poetry — benefits with some time to sit with it and untangle some of the language and ideas presented.

Just One Wedding by Chelsea M. Cameron (F/F Romance)

Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson (Bisexual YA Contemporary)

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (M/M YA Contemporary) [Content warning for transmisogynistic violence]

Tonight We Rule the World cover

Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley (Bisexual Guy YA Contemporary)

Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman (Trans Guy YA Historical Fiction)

Party & Prey by Steve Orlando, Steve Foxe, and Mike Marts (Gay Thriller Graphic Novel)

Abbott 1973 by Saladin Ahmed & Sami Kivelä (Bisexual Fantasy Graphic Novel)

Stitch by Stitch: Cleve Jones and the AIDS Memorial Quilt by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Jamey Christoph (Gay Nonfiction Picture Book)

Any Kind of Luck at All by Mary Fairhurst Breen (Lesbian Memoir)

The Light Streamed Beneath It by Shawn Hitchins (Gay Memoir)

Special Topics in Being a Human cover

High Yella by Steve Majors (Queer Memoir)

A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries (2003-2020) by David Sedaris (Gay Memoir)

Never Silent: ACT UP and My Life in Activism by Peter Staley (Gay Memoir)

Oscar Wilde: A Life by Matthew Sturgis (Gay Biography)

Special Topics in Being a Human by S. Bear Bergman and Saul Freedman-Lawson (Queer Nonfiction)

That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at the Lesbrary as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear me on All the Books on the first Tuesday of the month, read my Book Riot posts, and watch my weekly New Releases videos on the Book Riot Youtube channel. You can bet I sneak in as many queer titles as I can.

Happy reading!

Danika

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Sapphic Vampire Books To Slake Your Thirst

I’m feeling warm and fuzzy this week, because it’s Book Riot’s 10th birthday! I’ve been here for 6 of those years (as a contributor, then a contributing editor, then a temporary employee, and now an associate editor!) We were chatting away in the Book Riot Slack about how we all got started here and how much has changed. It’s a really lovely community: both the contributors/staff and all you amazing readers. It warmed my heart to read everyone’s happy memories and how far they’d come as readers and writers since they joined.

And hey, if you want to celebrate with us, we have merch celebrating 10 years! Pick up a cozy hoodie, a shirt, or a tote bag at Bonfire to show off your Book Rioter status. It’s only available this month! (The yellow hoodie makes for particularly autumnal apparel.)

This week I wanted to highlight the charity Hope In a Box. They supply rural public schools with “curated books with LGBTQ characters, detailed curriculum for these books tied to Common Core State Standards, and extensive training and mentorship on how to cultivate an inclusive classroom.” You can find out more at the Hope In a Box website and support them by donating. You can also buy a box outright for your own classroom.

Sapphic Vampire Books To Slake Your Thirst

We all construct a seasonal October TBR, right? While most of the year I avoid horror as much as possible, when the leaves start to change, I’m suddenly excited to cozy up with a creepy read. And October? Well, that’s Halloween month, so I put all the witchy, scary, horror, thriller, blood-soaked reads on my TBR. Especially for the 24 hour readathon!

If you, too, like to sprinkle some monstrous books into your October reading, here are some sapphic vampire stories to add to your list! These are all ones that I’ve read and loved.

Cover of A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

This is a bisexual, polyamorous take on the character of Dracula from the perspectives of his three “brides” (one of them is a man). It’s also a revenge story: the book begins with Constanta killing Dracula (though he’s never named in the story), and then backtracking to how they got there. It’s a narrative about abuse and also has a lot of gore, so be prepared for that going in, but it’s also gorgeously written, atmospheric, and thoughtful. This is a M/F/F/M polycule and all the main characters are bisexual.

The Gilda Stories cover

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez

This is a classic for very good reason. Even if you’re not usually a horror reader, this is an incredible read. It follows Gilda over two centuries, from escaping slavery to the year 2050 — we really get a sense of what being immortal would look like, how you would have to continually reinvent yourself. It plays with vampires tropes in interesting ways, and there’s also a lot of commentary on racism, homophobia, and sexism over time — what changes and what stays the same. Gilda is a lesbian vampire who feeds according to a strict moral code, where it must be consensual and also provides value for the human. While this is a vampire book, it’s not horror, so feel free to pick this one up even if you’re not looking for a scare!

Carmilla cover

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, edited by Carmen Maria Machado

Carmilla is the classic lesbian vampire tale — it predates Dracula! She’s also a prototypical “monstrous lesbian.” Still, there’s something so compelling about this story and the character, and Carmen Maria Machado does an incredible job reclaiming it for queer readers. Even if you’ve read it before, this version is like reading it for the first time. I wrote about why the original stuck with me in this post: Lesbian Pulp, Carmilla, and Reclaiming Toxic Representations. And then I was so impressed with Machado’s version that I wrote another: Bringing the Lesbian Vampire Home.

O Captain, My Captain by Katherine V. Forrest cover

O Captain, My Captain by Katherine V. Forrest

Lesbian vampires… in space! Also, you know that joke about lesbian vampires? Well, this novella plays it at face value, and that’s all I’ll say about that.

Better Off Red cover

Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Lesbian vampire sorority sisters! This is closer to the erotica side of things than paranormal romance, which probably isn’t surprising, given the premise. It’s also the first in a series, each with a different main character. The vampire’s name is Camila!

Smbitten cover

Smbitten by Melanie Gillman

Melanie Gillman is one of my favourite artists. They use pencil crayons in their detailed and evocative illustrations — you might remember them from As the Crow Flies. This one is a graphic novel about swing-dancing lesbian vampires! Even better, it’s on Gumroad as pay what you want, with no minimum.

Next up on my TBR is When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll, an erotic vampire horror graphic novel. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into it.

Whether you’re looking for erotica, horror, or a classic, hopefully you found a sapphic vampire book to your taste on this list!

All the Links Fit to Click

LGBTQ Book Riot Posts

New Releases This Week

While there some fantastic authors of colour on this list, the LGBTQ books out this week are disproportionately white. Hey publishing: we want more diverse queer books, please.

Payback's a Witch cover

Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper (Bisexual F/F Fantasy)

If you want a Halloween read but aren’t in a horror mood, this is the perfect pick for you. There’s a witchy town that doubles as a Halloween tourist trap, a spellcasting tournament, and three women who make a pact to get revenge on the man who broke their heart — and then two of them fall for each other in the process. This gives me Halloweentown vibes, if Halloweentown was a bisexual fantasy romance novel.

Reprieve cover

Reprieve by James Han Mattson (Gay Horror)

On the other hand, if you’re ready to dive into a horror read, might I recommend this murder at a full contact haunted escape room? It’s about a group of 4 (including a gay international student on a “besotted search” for his former English teacher) who almost become the second group to ever get through the entire escape room without yelling the safe word, “reprieve,” until someone breaks into the cell and kills one of them. On top of the creepy story, it’s also an examination of privilege, complicity, and racism in America. If you like your horror to keep you up at night both with sheer adrenaline and with timely social criticism, this is the October read for you.

cover of Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle, featuring cartoon of four young people standing in front of a full moon

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle (Sapphic YA Fantasy Graphic Novel)

Becca is worried about fitting in at her new school, but she is immediately taken in by the popular girls. There’s just one little snag: they are werewolves. In order to finally have a place where she belongs, Becca lets herself get turned. After all, they only feed on skeezy boys who won’t take no for an answer. As this strategy gets messier and messier, she also finds herself falling for one of the other girls in the pack. This already has an adaptation in the works, after an 8 way bidding war for the rights!

The Throwback List by Lily Anderson (Bisexual Fiction)

The Swank Hotel by Lucy Corin (M/M Fiction)

The Balance Tips by Joy Huang-Iris (Queer Fiction)

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower cover

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower (The Wild Wynchesters Book 2) by Erica Ridley (F/F Historical Romance)

The House on Druid Lake by Isabelle Adler (M/M Paranormal Romance)

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (Sapphic Fantasy)

Galaxy Brain (Cute Mutants #5) by S. J. Whitby (Genderfluid Fantasy)

The Stagsblood King by Gideon E. Wood (Gay Fantasy)

The Fox’s Tower and Other Tales by Yoon Ha Lee (Queer Fantasy Short Stories)

A Spindle Splintered cover

Blood of the Chosen (Burningblade & Silvereye #2) by Django Wexler (F/F Fantasy)

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (Sapphic Horror) (Paperback release)

The Gold Persimmon by Lindsay Merbaum (Sapphic and Nonbinary Horror)

Rebel Boys and Rescue Dogs, or Things That Kiss with Teeth by Brianna R. Shrum (Trans Guy Love Interest YA Contemporary)

Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley (Bisexual Guy YA Contemporary)

Needlework by Julia Watts (Gay YA Contemporary)

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros (M/M YA Historical Fiction)

Greedy cover

The One You Want to Marry (And Other Identities I’ve Had) by Sophie Santos (Lesbian Memoir)

A Carnival of Snackery (Diaries 2003-2020) by David Sedaris (Gay Memoir)

A Tale of Two Omars: A Memoir of Family, Revolution, and Coming Out During the Arab Spring by Omar Sharif Jr. (Queer Memoir)

Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism by Elsa Sjunneson (Queer Memoir)

Greedy: Notes from a Bisexual Who Wants Too Much by Jen Winston (Bisexual Woman Memoir)

The Care We Dream Of: Liberatory & Transformative Approaches to LGBTQ+ Health edited by Zena Sharman (Nonfiction)

Between Certain Death and a Possible Future : Queer Writing on Growing up with the AIDS Crisis edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (Queer Nonfiction)

That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at the Lesbrary as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear me on All the Books on the first Tuesday of the month, and I post weekly New Releases videos on the Book Riot Youtube channel. You can bet I sneak in as many queer titles as I can.

Happy reading!

Danika

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

To All the Queer Books I’ll Never Read

Remember how last week I said I’d be home alone this month, because my partner was visiting family? Well, you know what they say: man plans, the pandemic laughs. New Brunswick declared a state of emergency because of rising infection levels from the Delta variant, so they had to cancel. I’m glad to have him home, but it is really disappointing that he won’t be able to see his family. I can’t believe we’re almost 2 years into the pandemic and still can’t reliably plan a week in advance!

Because the pandemic is on my mind, I wanted to highlight an organization that helped provide LGBTQ+ folks with support during this time. Prism Foundation is a “grassroots philanthropic organization that provides funds and leverages resources to empower the Asian & Pacific Islander LGBTQ+ community.” They gave out $10,000 in Covid-19 Relief Funds to individuals ($100 each) and organizations ($500 each) in 2020 and they continue to provide scholarships and grants. You can find out more on their website and you can also donate to help support them.

To All the Queer Books I’ll Never Read

When I started the Lesbrary more than a decade ago, I gave it the subtitle “The humble quest to read everything lesbian.” It was tongue in cheek even at the time, but I really was trying to read everything with a lesbian or bi woman main character. I would make lists of every sapphic (though I wasn’t using that term at the time) book I’d ever heard of. I’d scour used bookstores looking for that Bella Books, Bold Strokes Books, or Cleis Press logo on the spine. The moment I heard there was a queer woman main character in a book, it was on my TBR. I also promised to read every sapphic ebook that was sent my way — and review it, too. I was dazzled by the idea of free queer books.

Part of this was naivety: I was at the beginning of my queer book reader journey, and I didn’t realize how much had come before me. I didn’t know about the lesbian literary community in 1920s Paris or 1950s lesbian pulp or the lesbian utopia sci fi of the 70s. There was already far more out there than I could read in my lifetime.

The other side, though, was that there really were fewer queer books being published. They were out there, and there was a handful of titles getting put out by the big publishers every year, but they were so few that I could easily read every queer YA book that came out, for example. I could keep up — at least with mainstream publisher’s output of queer books.

Very quickly, I became overwhelmed with the amount of ebooks I was being sent for review. I needed to put some sort of standards in place, especially after reviewing some truly terribly edited books. (“He wrapped a towel around his waste” has a very different meaning than they were going for.) So I stopped reading every ebook I was sent for review, instead only reading the ones I found personally interesting, that also matched the genres and tropes I like. I did the same thing with my physical TBR, reluctantly letting go of the cheesy 80s lesbian romances that I was never going to really enjoy.

And that worked, for a little while. I read the queer books I was excited about and left the rest. But now… Now my dresser overflows with my “immediate” TBR, and that’s just the physical books I’ve been sent for review. My library holds list gets maxed out. My ereader bursts at the seams with eARCs.

I read around 100 books a year, which sounds like a lot, until you start keeping track of all the books coming out every week (in addition to this newsletter, I also do the All the Books podcast and Book Riot’s weekly new releases YouTube videos). I just need to read more, I think. I just need to stop watching TV and start reading! If only I could sneak in some more pages, I could keep up!

Alas, it can’t happen. For one, I love zoning out and watching TV — no shame. Also, even if it was 200 books a year, I’d still have to make choices. There are just too many good queer books out there. There are classics I haven’t read and new releases in every genres coming out every week. I have to accept it: I can’t read all the queer books, even just the ones I’m interested it.

To all the queer books I’ll never read: I’m sorry. I know that if I had read you first — because the publisher mailed me a hardcover instead of an eARC, or because the library had an audiobook version, or just because I liked the cover better — I would have raved about you. It’s not your fault. I hope you find your way into other readers’ hands who will love you.

I can’t say I’m sorry that so many queer books are being published now, but I am sorry that I can’t champion every amazing title out there. I can only hope the afterlife involves a comfy chair and a very large library.

All the Links Fit to Click

LGBTQ Book Riot Posts

New Releases This Week

Unfortunately, this week’s releases are disproportionately by white authors. Do better, publishing. We’re far overdue for more queer books by authors of color.

cover of Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (Sapphic, Trans Side Character Science Fiction)

Shizuka made a deal with the devil, but she is so close to wriggling out of the consequences. She has to convince 7 other violinists to make their own Faustian bargains and she’ll be clear. When she bumps into Katrina, a young trans runaway with a talent for playing violin, she’s convinced the 7th spot is secure. There’s just one problem: Lan Tran, who is the swoon-worthy interstellar refugee owner of a donut shop. The three women grow close, and Shizuka has to choose between her new found family and the curse hanging over her head. This is a perfect fit for fans of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet!

Cover of Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo, featuring a human hand underwater wrapped in weeds reaching for a skeleton hand wrapped in weeds

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo (Queer Gothic Horror)

The Secret History meets Fast and the Furious. Need I say more? Just in case, here it is: Andrew and Eddie grew up closer than brothers. When Eddie left for university, it was with the understanding Andrew would follow months later. But just before he was supposed to arrive, Eddie dies of an apparent suicide. As Andrew searches for answers, he falls into Eddie’s life of backstabbing academia and nights of “hot boys, fast cars, and hard drugs.” Oh, and one more problem: he’s being haunted by a ravenous phantom.

This is a queer Southern Gothic with dark academia elements that also examines toxic masculinity and the pervasive white supremacy in academia.

MENAFTER10 by Casey Hamilton (Gay Fiction)

The Pursued and the Pursuing by AJ Odasso (M/M Retelling)

MENAFTER10 cover

The Body on the Bed by Leonard Krishtalka (Sapphic Mystery)

Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert (M/M Romance)

Royal Fling by Rhys Everly (M/M Romance)

The Lights on Knockbridge Lane by Roan Parrish (M/M Christmas Romance)

Wake of the Phoenix by Chelsea Harper (M/M Fantasy)

Activation Degradation by Marina J. Lostetter (Bisexual M/M, Intersex Side Character Science Fiction Thriller)

Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson (M/M YA Historical Fantasy)

Before We Disappear cover

Sisters of Shadow by Katherine Livesey (Sapphic YA Fantasy)

Dark Rise by by C. S. Pacat (M/M YA Fantasy)

Some Faraway Place (A Bright Sessions Novel) by Lauren Shippen (F/F YA Fantasy)

Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton & Aśka (YA Graphic Novel)

Ciel in All Directions by Sophie Labelle (Non-Binary Middle Grade Graphic Novel)

Evelyn Hooker and the Fairy Project by Gayle E. Pitman (LGBTQ Children’s Nonfiction)

CuĂ­er by Caio Fernando Abreu, Sarah Coolidge, et al (Queer Poetry)

That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at the Lesbrary, on Twitter @danikaellis, and you can check out my Book Riot posts. You can also hear me on All the Books on the first Tuesday of the month, and I post weekly New Releases videos on the Book Riot Youtube channel. You can bet I sneak in as many queer titles as I can.

Happy reading!

Danika

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Queer YA Hauntings To Creep You Out This Fall

By the time the next newsletter gets to your inbox, I’ll be beginning a month of living alone! My partner is visiting his family on the other coast, and it’ll just be me and the dogs for all of October. I haven’t been by myself that long in… ever?? On the bright side, I’m going to read just a ridiculous amount of books. That’s the plan, at least!

This week I wanted to highlight the organization LGBT Books to Prisoners. They are a “trans-affirming, racial justice-focused, prison abolitionist project sending books to incarcerated LGBTQ-identified people across the United States.” You can find out more about them on the LGBT Books to Prisoners website, and you can contribute on the donation page. They’re also looking for book donations!

Queer YA Hauntings and Possessions

As the weather cools (at least in this hemisphere), I start to crave creepy, atmospheric reads. Usually, I have no interest in horror, but in Fall (and especially October!), it suddenly begins to appeal to me. I listened to two YA horror audiobooks recently that perfectly satisfied that craving, so I wanted to recommend them to you if you’re in a similar reading and listening mood. I also have one that’s on my TBR for this season that looks like it will fit right in and that I’ve heard amazing things about.

cover of the dead and the dark by courtney gould

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould (Lesbian YA Horror)

Logan has spent her life crisscrossing the country with her two dads, Brandon and Alejo, as they film their ghost hunting TV show. When Brandon returns to his and Alejo’s hometown, he says he’s scouting for a filming location, but then he doesn’t leave for months. Alejo and Logan come after him, but they’re soon all drawn into this small town’s mysteries–including missing teenagers–and homophobic attitudes make Brandon a prime suspect. Logan finds herself teaming up with Ashley, who is looking for her missing boyfriend. As they investigate, it becomes obvious that something supernatural is going on, and even Logan is becoming suspicious of her father. Even more unexpected? Logan and Ashley are starting to fall for each other.

This one has an incredibly creepy atmosphere, and we get glimpses into an evil being that is possessing someone and killing teens using their body–but who is being possessed, and why did they make a deal with this dark force?

cover of the girls are never gone by sarah glenn marsh

The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh (Bisexual YA Horror)

Dare took this internship to help restore Arrington Estate because it’s rumored to be haunted, and it should make good content for her ghost hunting podcast. The fact that Dare is extremely skeptical about the existence of ghosts is something she keeps under wraps. When she arrives there, she finds assistance in the daughter of the museum’s owner, Quinn. Soon, even Dare has to admit that something weird is happening in this house, with its lake that creeps closer every day, and the face that appears beside hers in the mirror.

I personally love horror stories that have a water focus, and this one is very much about the ominous lake (where at least one girl drowned). No matter how much work they do to restore it, the ceilings are always leaking, mold spreads, and carpets squelch with water underfoot.

This also has disability representation: Dare has Type 1 Diabetes and has to manage it both with medical equipment and a service dog. (The author also has Type 1 Diabetes.)

cover image of The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass showing a drawing of a Black teen boy about to be grabbed by a ghost

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass (Gay YA Horror/Social Thriller)

Unlike the previous two books, Jake doesn’t have to hunt for ghosts, because they’re always with him. He sees the dead acting out their deaths, caught in an endless loop. All except Sawyer, the ghost of a school shooter who’s determined to use Jake to exact vengeance. Soon, instead of seeing ghosts, Jake finds himself controlled by one.

This is a gay paranormal thriller that has a lot of social commentary, especially on anti-Black racism. It also gets very dark, including giving the school shooter’s perspective. If you like your horror with hard-hitting social commentary, this should be on your list.

All the Links Fit to Click

LGBTQ Book Riot Posts

New Releases This Week

Did you think we were done with the giant lists of new releases? Well, September still has more to give!

A Dream of a Woman cover

A Dream of a Woman by Casey Plett (Trans Women Short Stories)

Casey Plett has won multiple awards for her previous books, including a Lambda Literary Award, and this collection has been long-listed for the Giller prize. These stories are heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. They examine the complexities of being human and the flawed, yearning ways we relate to each other. I finished the first story and had to stare at a wall for a while to process it–and I mean that in the best possible way.

Things We Couldn't Say cover

Things We Couldn’t Say by Jay Coles (Bi M/Bi M YA Contemporary)

Gio is a bisexual boy who’s fallen for another bi boy on his basketball team, but that’s far from the most complicated thing in his life right now. After eight years, his absent mother has reappeared in his family’s life, asking for forgiveness. Gio isn’t sure he can give it, or if she even deserves a relationship with him at all. This deals with masculinity and vulnerability–and it’s well worth getting for the stunning cover alone.

Cover of Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Iron Widow ​by Xiran Jay Zhao (Bisexual YA Sci Fi)

This is being pitched as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale. Chrysalises are the only way to fight the alien mechas lurking on the other side of the Great Wall, but they require two pilots: a male pilot, and a female concubine-pilot who is often killed by the experience of being drained to power the machine. But Zetian has reversed this dynamic, making her a rare and feared Iron Widow. Everyone wants to find a way to constrain her power, but she’d done being controlled. (Bonus: polyamorous representation!)

cover of the insiders by mark oshiro, a yellow cover with three cartoon children running through open doors

The Insiders by Mark Oshiro (Gay Middle Grade Fantasy)

Héctor Muñoz finds himself forced back into the closet–literally–at his new school. While being gay was no big deal in San Francisco, it makes him a target at Orangevale, and he seeks refuge in the janitor’s closet. Except one day, the closet gives him access to another room, one that connects him to other middle grade outcasts from different corners of the country. This is a coming of age story about not fitting and finding your community, and it also has non-binary representation.

The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine (Trans Woman Fiction)

Better to Trust by Heather Frimmer (Sapphic Fiction)

Suture cover

Suture by Nic Brewer (Lesbian Weird Fiction)

Hugh by David Lawrence (Gay Historical Fiction)

Between His Lover and the Deep Blue Sea by Merry Farmer (M/M Romance)

Mechanics of Love by Meka James (F/F Romance)

Love in the Limelight by Ashley Moore (F/F Romance)

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (Sapphic Sci Fi) (Paperback Release)

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune (M/M Fantasy)

Traitors of the Black Crown cover

Traitors of the Black Crown (Black Crown #1) by Cate Pearce (F/F Fantasy)

Sidelined by Kara Bietz (M/M YA Contemporary)

Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh (Questioning YA Contemporary) (Paperback Release)

To Break a Covenant by Alison Ames (Lesbian YA Thriller)

The Bronzed Beasts (The Gilded Wolves #3) by Roshani Chokshi (Bisexual YA Fantasy)

Into the Dying Light (The Age of Darkness #3) by Katy Rose Pool (M/M YA Fantasy)

The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider (Bisexual YA Fantasy)

Beasts and Beauty by Soman Chainani cover

Pepper’s Rules for Secret Sleuthing by Briana McDonald (Sapphic Middle Grade Contemporary) (Paperback Release)

Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani (Gay Main Characters Middle Grade Fantasy/Fairy Tale Short Stories)

Battle Dragons: City of Thieves by Alex London (Queer-Inclusive World, Middle Grade Fantasy)

Tenderness by Derrick Austin (Queer Poetry)

Gumbo Ya Ya by Aurielle Marie (Queer Poetry)

That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at the Lesbrary as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear me on All the Books on the first Tuesday of the month, and I post weekly New Releases videos on the Book Riot Youtube channel. You can bet I sneak in as many queer titles as I can.

Happy reading!

Danika

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Fantastic Queer eBooks That Are All Under $5!

Hi friends! I hope you’re doing well. It finally got properly rainy yesterday, and I know I’ll get tired of it soon, but right now I am celebrating. It’s my ideal reading weather! Now, did I scroll through TikTok instead of reading? Sure. But I appreciate the ambience anyways.

Today I wanted to highlight the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, which provides legal aid to low income trans, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people of color in New York City. You can find out more about them on the SRLP website and you can help out using their donation page.

Queer eBooks Under $5

Lots of other Book Riot newsletters include a deals section, so I thought I’d try it out once! These are all queer ebooks under $5 at the time of writing. Some are always under $5 and some are just on sale at the moment. Enjoy!

Phoenix Extravagant book cover

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee for $0.99

A pacifist non-binary artist is recruited to work as a kind of mystical coder for the military. While working for the Razanei government, though, they discover the military is even worse than they thought… and then they accidentally give a dragon automaton free will. Now Jebi finds themselves with a mechanical war dragon companion, up against a tyrannical government.

Meet Cute Diary cover

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee for $1.99

Noah runs Meet Cute Diary, a Tumblr blog where trans people send in their adorable, romantic meet cutes. It brings a lot of trans people hope and comfort. There’s just one problem: it’s not real. Noah writes them all himself. When he’s caught, he jumps into a fake dating scheme to try to give the blog he loves so much some credibility. But actually dating is a little more messy than his neat fictional meet cutes.

cover of Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
The Unbroken cover

Whoops, didn’t intend for that to get so long, but there are a ton of great queer YA ebook deals right now! Apologies for your wallet!

All the Links Fit to Click

LGBTQ Book Riot Posts

I’ve taken a page from the Kissing Books romance newsletter and am going to start including a few LGBTQ posts “from the vault” here, since there are so many great ones you might have missed!

New Releases This Week

The Spectacular cover

The Spectacular by Zoe Whittall (Bisexual Fiction)

Missy made a name for herself as a cellist in a punk band by performing a song about her absent mother every night. Her hard partying ways catch up to her, though, when she unexpectedly falls for a tomboy drummer — oh, and also gets stranded at the border because of a forgotten flap of cocaine. She crashes at her grandmother’s house, but her grandmother is determined to get all three generations of women in the family on the same page again. This is a story about maternal ambivalence: what happens when a mother regrets having children?

Peter Cabot Gets Lost cover

Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian (M/M Romance)

Cat Sebastian has a devoted fanbase who will have been counting down until this release! It’s the second in the Cabot family series. Caleb has just graduated from a Boston college in 1960 and is stranded, with no way to get to Los Angeles and start his new life. Good news: classmate Peter Cabot has offered to drive him there to escape from his father’s presidential campaign. Bad news: Caleb hates Peter.

Witch Rising cover

Witch Rising (B*WITCH #2) by Paige McKenzie & Nancy Ohlin (Sapphic YA Fantasy)

In this concluding volume of the B*Witch duology, the two covens at school continue to spar, but they have bigger problems: an anti-magic faction may be responsible for killing a witch. They have to join forces to find out the truth. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also the romantic complications: Ridley has a crush on a dead girl, and Iris is trying to catch Greta’s eye before the new witch does. But, of course, “queer witch YA” should have been enough to convince you to pick this series up already.

A Lot Like AdiĂłs by Alexis Daria (Bi M/Bi F Romance)

Love and Lotus Blossoms by Anne Shade (Bisexual F/F Romance)

Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston (Bisexual Fantasy) (Paperback release)

The Actual Star by Monica Byrne

The Actual Star by Monica Byrne (Non-Binary World Sci-Fi)

Oaths of Legacy (The Bloodright Trilogy #2) by Emily Skrutskie (M/M Science Fiction)

Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body by Megan Milks (YA Contemporary)

The Scratch Daughters (Scapegracers #2) by Hannah Abigail Clarke (Sapphic YA Fantasy)

The Hollow Heart (Forgotten Gods #2) ​by Marie Rutkoski (Sapphic YA Fantasy)

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl (F/F Paranormal YA)

Monstress, Vol. 6: The Vow by Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda (Sapphic Fantasy Graphic Novel)

808s & Otherworlds by Sean Avery Medlin cover

Passion by June Jordan (reprint) (Bisexual Poetry)

Villainy by Andrea Abi-Karam (Queer Poetry)

808s & Otherworlds by Sean Avery Medlin (Queer Poetry)

Umbilical Cord by Hasan Namir (Two Dads Poetry)

A Quilt for David by Steven Reigns (Gay Poetry/Biography)

Early One Morning by Lawrence Schimel and Elīna Brasliņa (Two Dads Board Book)

That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at the Lesbrary as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear me on All the Books on the first Tuesday of the month, and I post weekly New Releases videos on the Book Riot Youtube channel. You can bet I sneak in as many queer titles as I can.

Happy reading!

Danika

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Queer Books Are Everywhere. Why Are They Still Invisible?

I’m back from camping! Sure, it rained some, and yes, one of the dogs threw up all over the tent at 4 in the morning, but we still managed to have a good time! Maybe next time we’ll leave the pups with family, though.

This week, I wanted to highlight the charity Rainbow Railroad, which helps LGBTQI+ people escape state-sanctioned violence and oppression around the world. Right now, they’re trying to respond to many calls for help from LGBTQI+ people in Afghanistan fleeing from Taliban violence. You can find out more about about them on their website, and you can help them continue this work on their donation page.

Queer Books Are Everywhere. Why Are They Still Invisible?

I’ve started to really into queer BookTok, and I’m relieved it’s a thing. For a while there, I thought I would have to start one myself, and I am overwhelmed by the idea. Videos are hard enough: I don’t want to have to relearn new logistics. Luckily, there are lots of queer bookish creators making their mark. I even wrote a post about the LGBTQ books featured most on BookTok!

I’ve also been able to watch publishing change in the decade I’ve been writing about queer books. As you’ll be see in the list below, there are more queer books being published every month than used to be published in a year! And the kinds of representation has expanded by leaps and bounds — there’s more to go, of course, but I’m grateful for the progress that’s been made.

So how is it, when more queer books are being published every year than even the fastest reader could make a dent in, that some people still think they don’t exist at all?

The sentiment “there’s no good lesbian books” has been remarkably persistent despite being unequivocally wrong. After years of seeing it in comments sections on blogs, it still shows up regularly on TikToks (now usually as “sapphic books” instead). It’s so common that Laynie Rose, the foremost sapphic BookToker, made a shirt about it.

The problem is not that queer books (or queer women books or good sapphic books) don’t exist. Of course there are genres that are lacking representation, and of course it’s a small percentage next to the straight cis books that are getting published, but it’s still a staggering amount and breadth of representation. The problem is that people seem to still not be finding them. And… how is that possible?

If you google queer books, sapphic books, good lesbian books — however you want to specify it — you’ll get decent results. You’ll immediately be given relevant titles and resources to find more. There are blogs, YouTube channels, TikTok accounts, newsletters (hello!) devoted to queer lit. So how can anyone claim these books don’t exist?

Perhaps it’s because you do have to look. If you want cis/allo/straight representation, you could go into a library, close your eyes, spin in a circle and grab the first book you touch and you’re almost guaranteed to succeed. (Don’t do that, though. Unless you have a spotter!) Queer books require you to investigate, even just a cursory amount, and I don’t see that changing.

Luckily, more and more queer books are making it onto bestseller lists and displays. And that’s thanks to the authors and readers who did the work to make that possible: who fought to find an audience when they were told there was none, who investigated to find the titles they were told didn’t exist and then read and recommended them.

For now, at least, queer books do require a little more effort to find — usually just a few more keystrokes! — but I promise: they’re worth it.

All the Links Fit to Click

LGBTQ Book Riot Posts

Come work with Book Riot! We’re hiring an Ad Operations Associate. Apply by September 30th!

New Releases This Week

This is one of the biggest publishing days of the year, so buckle up for a long list!

Cover of No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull (Queer Fantasy)

In the first volume of a new series, Laina finds out that her brother has been shot by Boston cops — except that somehow that isn’t the biggest news of her day. It turns out that her brother was a werewolf, and suddenly all kinds of monsters are coming out of the woodwork, running from something. This is a book with a ton of different point of view characters, including asexual and sapphic representation.

cover of a clash of steel by c.b. lee

A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee (YA Historical Fiction)

This is a YA “remix” of Treasure Island, featuring a slowburn F/F romance. It’s based on the real history of piracy in the China seas. When Xiang finds out her late father was a pirate, it’s because a girl named Anh stole her necklace and then asked for help deciphering the treasure map inside.There’s found family elements and queer pirates: who can resist?

The City Beautiful cover

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros (M/M YA Historical Fiction)

Despite this having just come out, I swear it already has a devoted fanbase. It’s a queer Jewish historical thriller that takes place in at the 1893 Chicago World Fair. Alter is being possessed by his murdered best friend’s dybbuk, and he doesn’t have long to solve the murder and stop the killer. He finds himself having to rely on the help of a dangerous boy from his past.

The Family Way by Christopher DiRaddo (Gay Fiction)

The Magician by Colm TĂłibĂ­n (Gay Fiction)

How to Wrestle a Girl by Venita Blackburn (Sapphic Short Stories)

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun (M/M Romance)

The Final Child by Fran Dorricott (Thriller)

Cover of The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw

The Actual Stars by Monica Byrne (Non-binary Worldbuilding Science Fiction)

The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw (Sapphic, Non-Binary Side Characters Science Fiction)

Act Cool by Tobly McSmith (Trans Guy YA Contemporary)

The Night When No One Had Sex by Kalena Miller (YA Contemporary)

Major Detours: A Choices Novel by Zachary Sergi (M/M YA Contemporary)

The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh (Bisexual YA Horror)

Mary, Will I Die? by Shawn Sarles (Lesbian YA Horror)

We Are Not Broken by George M Johnson (Queer, they/them pronouns YA Nonfiction)

Obie is Man Enough by Schuyler Bailar (Trans Boy Middle Grade Contemporary)

A Touch of Ruckus cover

A Touch of Ruckus by Ash Van Otterloo (Sapphic, Non-Binary LI Middle Grade Fantasy)

One Life: Young Readers Edition by Megan Rapinoe (Middle Grade Memoir)

Other Boys by Damian Alexander (Gay Middle Grade Graphic Memoir)

Small Knight and the Anxiety Monster by Manka Kasha (Non-binary/Gender-neutral, they/them pronouns Picture Book)

Eighty Days by A. C. Esguerra (M/M Graphic Novel)

Tenderness by Derrick Austin (Queer Poetry)

The Breaks: An Essay by Julietta Singh (Queer Nonfiction)

That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at the Lesbrary as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear me on All the Books on the first Tuesday of the month, and I post weekly New Releases videos on the Book Riot Youtube channel. You can bet I sneak in as many queer titles as I can.

Happy reading!

Danika

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

A Queer Office Satire, Non-Binary Cyberpunk, and More LGBTQ Books Out This Week

As I’m writing this, I am about to pack up the car for my first camping trip in years, and I’m so excited. By the time you read this, I’ll be back — hopefully it all went smoothly! I am ready for some vegan s’mores and to tackle my TBR (but not at the same time, because that would be messy).

Today I wanted to highlight Trans Lifeline, a hotline run by and for trans people. In addition to the hotline, they also provide microgrants to help trans people correct their ID (especially trans people of color) as well as microgrants for trans health care and for trans people who are incarcerated. You can find out more at the Trans Lifeline website, and you can donate to help them in their work.

Resources You Need To Know: LGBTQ Reads

If you read queer YA, Dahlia Adler’s LGBTQ Reads is an essential website to know. It’s packed full of so many resources, I’m not even sure where to start describing them!

Dahlia Adler is bisexual author who primarily writes YA and New Adult as well as editing YA anthologies. Under the Lights and Cool for the Summer are two of her queer titles, and her anthologies — like His Hideous Heart: 13 of Edgar Allan Poe’s Most Unsettling Tales Reimagined and That Way Madness Lies: 15 of Shakespeare’s Most Notable Works Reimagined — include queer stories.

Of course, Adler doesn’t stop at just writing great queer books. For five years, she’s been maintaining the best queer YA book site on the internet, LGBTQ reads. The blog is filled with all kinds of content, including monthly new releases (which I definitely crib from for titles in these newsletters), interviews with authors, cover reveals, Fave Five posts of recommendations on a theme, guest posts, and lots more.

She also has a feature called Under the Gaydar for queer books that don’t reveal the queer content on the front or back cover, so that closeted people (especially kids and teens) can access them without being outed.

But the blog posts are only scratching the surface. Adler also maintains a ton of lists to try to match you with exactly the book you’re looking for. In the top bar, there are lots of categories to choose from, including:

Those are just a few of the pages available, and Adler does a superhuman job of keeping them updated with new additions.

It doesn’t stop at this website, though. Adler runs an LGBTQ Reads tumblr, where you can ask for recommendations of any kind of queer book, including anonymously, and she will give you titles. I cannot fathom how she manages to keep up with both of these on top of being a parent and writing books. She also has started a TikTok account, because of course she has.

I hope that you start following LGBTQ Reads if you haven’t already, because it’s such a wealth of information, and Dahlia Adler is doing so much to promote queer books and help LGBTQ readers. If you want to show her some support, she also has a Patreon. At the top tier, Adler will send you a hand-selected book every month!

All the Links Fit to Click

LGBTQ Book Riot Posts

New Releases This Week

several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke cover

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke (Queer Satire)

If you use Slack, you already recognize the title reference. In this satire of office life, an employee is uploaded into the Slack interface. His coworkers think it’s a bit, but he is able to convince one of them to try to help him escape. This is a surreal commentary on modern work life, with a queer romantic subplot. If you’re unfamiliar with Slack, this is likely going to be a tough hang, but either way, get ready for a weird and memorable read.

In the Watchful City cover

In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu (Non-binary Bio-Cyberpunk)

This is being described as a “Asian-inspired mosaic novella” about Anima, an extrasensory non-binary person who is part of the Gleaming, a living network that keeps the city safe. When a visitor arrives with a box of objects from around the world and describes them to ær, it changes Anima’s perception. This is a collection of fragmented stories that will challenge and intrigue readers. Two of the main characters, Anima and the visitor, are non-binary and use neopronouns (æ/ær and se/ser).

For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes (Trans woman M/F Romance)

Tell Me Anything (Light Gets In #1) by Skye Kilaen (Bi M/Bi F Romance)

Queen of Teeth by Hailey Piper (Queer Horror)

The Devil You Know by Kit Rocha (Bisexual Science Fiction)

Tobyn: The It Girl by Ashley Woodfolk (Lesbian YA Contemporary)

The Flyers by Beth Turley (Sapphic Middle Grade)

This Little Rainbow by Joan Holub, illustrated by Daniel Roode (LGBTQ Board Book)

Are You This? Or Are You This? by Madian Al Jazerah (Gay Memoir)

That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at the Lesbrary as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear me on All the Books on the first Tuesday of the month, and I post weekly New Releases videos on the Book Riot Youtube channel. You can bet I sneak in as many queer titles as I can.

Happy reading!

Danika