It’s the end of April, and we’re finally getting some nice weather here. I’m a simple soul, and as soon as I get five minutes of sunshine, the world seems like a much better place. My dogs are sunbathing on the porch together right now, and I might just join them shortly.
Speaking of making the world a better place, I want to spotlight The Okra Project, a mutual aid collective that provides support for Black Trans people. You can help out at their donate page.
Over at Book Riot’s newest newsletter, The Deep Dive, I wrote about the history and future of scratch and sniff books — that newsletter will be going out shortly. In the meantime, read about the strange phenomenon that is Colleen Hoover’s explosive rise to fame, the best reading trackers for power readers, and lots more. Subscribe and choose your membership level today at bookriot.substack.com
Bookish Goods
Queer & Fearless Lapel Pin by AFinkandInk
Since the theme today is queer horror, this pin seemed fitting. $12
New Releases
For another queer YA book out this week, check out today’s sponsor!
That Self-Same Metal (Forge & Fracture Saga #1) by Brittany N. Williams (Queer YA Fantasy)
Joan Sands is a queer Black woman whose family is Orisha-blessed, able to sense the Fae hiding among London society. Her gift is being able to control metal, which she uses in her job managing the stage blades for Shakespeare’s company. But when Joan injures a powerful Fae, she gets pulled into a world of dangerous Fae politics.
This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham (Sapphic YA Horror)
Since the Hollowing, a small segment of the population has an uncontrollable hunger for human flesh. But it’s no big deal: there’s Synflesh, a synthetic alternative, and things are pretty much back to normal. Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine are all hollow girls who go to a music festival to celebrate their upcoming graduation. But then — oops! — Val goes feral and eats one of the boys in a band. And now it also looks like someone is trying to hunt down all the hollow attendees. This is being pitched as Jennifer’s Body meets iZombie, and it has a cis bisexual main character and a trans bi love interest!
Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance edited by Bethany C. Morrow (YA Anthology Including LGBTQ Stories) (Audiobook Rerelease)
The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes Lesbian YA Contemporary (Paperback Rerelease)
Harley Quinn: Ravenous by Rachael Allen (Queer YA Superhero Fiction)
Robin and Her Misfits by Kelly Ann Jacobson (Queer YA Robin Hood Retelling)
Grandad’s Pride (Grandad’s Camper) by Harry Woodgate (LGBTQ Picture Book)
Gender Heroes: 25 Amazing Transgender, Non-binary and Genderqueer Trailblazers from Past and Present! illustrated by Filipa Namorado (Trans Nonfiction Picture Book)
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
This Delicious Death has got me thinking about queer YA horror, so here are a couple more to pick up! While that one looks like a campy good time, these two are darker, so check out the content warnings before diving in.
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (September 5, 2023)
Andrew Joseph White’s debut novel was Hell Followed with Us, another YA horror novel featuring a trans guy main character hellbent on revenge. In The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, Silas is an autistic trans guy in Victorian England with a gift as a medium. He’s sent to a finishing school to eventually be married off as a Speaker wife (against his will), but there, he encounters ghosts who want the true story of this school told. You can preorder this now!
The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
Jake Livingston is also a teen medium. And he’s one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep, dealing with the racism of students and teachers. When a new Black student, Allister, shows up, a romance begins to bloom between them, but Jake’s moment of happiness — and his life — is endangered when the ghost of a school shooter begins to haunt him.
For more queer horror, check out 15 LGBTQ Haunted Horror Novels, 8 of the Best Queer Horror Books, and Great New Queer Horror.
All the Links Fit to Click
LGBTQ Reads: Happy Lesbian Visibility Day 2023!
That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at my sapphic book blog, the Lesbrary and (for now) Twitter. You can also hear me on All the Books or you can read my Book Riot posts.
Happy reading!
Danika