This week, I’m covering for Danika and though I will never live up to their ability to do this newsletter well, I hope you find something new to read plus news to keep you in the know.
Queer Book Sales Up
Last week, the NDP group announced that sales of print LGBTQ+ books soared over 39% in the last year. Among the leading titles were Adam Silvera’s TikTok sensation They Both Die at the End and the Heartstopper series from Alice Osemaan. You can check out the other titles which saw a big boom here.
Publishers Weekly’s coverage of the story is interesting, as it points out that these sales are happening even amid censorship of queer titles across the US. Though both of these are factual statements–there are more queer book sales and a bulk of the books being banned are those of or about queer people–tying them together is disingenuous, as most books that are challenged or banned do not see sales bumps. The books named in either article are not even among the most challenged.
Even if the Streisand Effect were true and every queer book being challenged saw their sales grow, is that really something to celebrate?
New Releases This Week
YA is my usual jam, so I’m going to give you the in-depth on two queer YA books that hit shelves this week, and I’ll also link out to several (several!!) other rad LGBTQ+ books that are also out this week across categories and genres.
Jumper by Melanie Crowder
Blair is 19 and has the drive, talent, and passion for adventure that makes her the perfect fire fighter. She’s taken a job with her best friend Jason as a smokejumper for the Forest Service. The problem? Blair is a Type 1 Diabetic, which disqualifies her from service. She and Jason keep it a secret until an accident during training, where her dreams may come to a crushing, devastating end.
There is no romance between Blair and Jason. It is instead a lovely F/F romantic thread built amidst an intense story of climate change, chronic health realities, and more. I adore Crowder’s writing, so I’m picking this one up ASAP.
The Loophole by Naz Katub
How about a second-chance romance featuring a gay Indian Muslim teen who gets a wish granted by a mysterious girl? Look no further.
Sy’s stuck at his job in a coffee shop after Farouk leaves him to travel–and fix–the world. But when a girl offers Sy the chance at three wishes in exchange for helping her, he takes it. When he finds the courage to leave home to find Farouk, though, will the sparks fly again or will he discover something wholly new about himself?
Coffee, Shopping, Murder, Love by Carlos Allende (Gay Comedy)
The Godbreaker (The God-King Chronicles #3) by Mike Brooks (M/M, Queer Fantasy)
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The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings (Queer Fantasy)
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland (M/M Fantasy)
What Rough Beast (The Remembrance War #2) by Michael R. Johnston (M/M Space Opera)
Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame, translated by Anne Ishii (Gay Graphic Novel)
To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda (Trans Man Manga)
This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed (Gay Fiction)
Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta by James Hannaham (Trans Woman Fiction)
Don’t Make Me Do Something We’ll Both Regret: Stories by Tim Jones-Yelvington (Queer Short Stories)
When London Snow Falls by Hayden Stone (M/M Romance)
X by Davey Davis (Queer Noir)
Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances (Dragons and Blades) by Aliette de Bodard (M/M Fantasy Anthology)
The Secrets of the Stormforest (The Strangeworlds Travel Agency #3) by L.D. Lapinski (Trans Boy Middle Grade Fantasy)
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Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair by June Gervais (F/F Fiction)
This Wicked Fate (This Poison Heart #2) by Kalynn Bayron (Sapphic YA Fantasy)
Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino (Queer YA Horror/Fantasy Retelling)
The Big Book of Pride Flags by Jessica Kingsley and Jem Milton (Nonfiction Picture Book)
Funny Gyal: My Fight Against Homophobia in Jamaica by Angeline Jackson with Susan McClelland (Lesbian Memoir)
LGBTQ Book Riot Posts
George M. Johnson Announced as Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week
LGBTQ+ Characters Triumph at the End of the World in These 8 Queer Dystopian Books
7 Bookish Ways to Celebrate Pride
10 Queer Historical YA Novels That Reclaim LGBTQ History
Ace of Capes: Asexual Superheroes, Villains, and More
12 Books by Up-and-Coming Trans and Nonbinary Authors
10 Sapphic New Adult Books to Read in Yours 20s
All the Links Fit to Click
It’s Lit: Queer Youth on an Online Book Club Club That Became Family
‘Queer, hilarious and full of joy’: the rise of LGBTQ+ romance fiction
LGBTQ authors recommend books that spark queer joy
8 Books About Coming into Queer Selfhood
17 LGBTQ+ Books From 2022 That Deserve a Spot on Your TBR List
West Hollywood Hosts First Q Con for LGBT Comic Book Fans
12 LGBTQ Books I Would Do Anything To See As TV Shows And Movies
Explore the ‘Disappearing Queer Spaces’ of the Harlem Renaissance
Drag Queen Story Hour Performer Did Not Expose Self to Kids; Social Media Users Spread Bogus Tale
Book Bans Are on the Rise, but Students Are Fighting Back
Drag Queens won’t be cowed by haters. The story hour goes on.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
That’s it for me this week! You can find Danika at their bi and lesbian book blog, the Lesbrary, as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear Danika on All the Books or you can read their Book Riot posts.
Happy reading!
Kelly