We have to talk about the bananapants explosion of popularity of This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. A Twitter account with the name “bigolas dickolas woIfwood” tweeted out the cover and said “read this. DO NOT look up anything about it. just read it. it’s only like 200 pages u can download it on audible it’s only like four hours. do it right now i’m very extremely serious.” It’s now been retweeted more than 10,000 times. The book rose up to #7 on the Amazon bestseller list overall. In its different formats, it took up 3/4 of the top 4 spots in Sci-Fi bestsellers. Bless you, Bigolas Dickolas.
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.
Check out Book Riot’s newest podcast! BookRiot.com co-founder Jeff O’Neal explores the wide bookish world. Interviews, lists, rankings, retrospectives, recommendations, and much more, featuring people who know and love books. Subscribe to First Edition on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your podcatcher of choice.
Bookish Goods
Princess and Lady Knight Art Print by RayleeArtShop
We’re talking about a few queer fantasy graphic novels today, I had to include a princess and her lady knight art print. Swoon. $6
You can also get this as a bookmark for $5!
New Releases
Wow, there are sure are a ton of queer YA and kids’ books out this week! Unfortunately, they’re almost all by white authors, which is very disappointing. We need more diverse queer books!
Breakup, Makeup by Stacey Anthony (Nonbinary YA Contemporary)
Eli is a nonbinary makeup artist with one chance of getting into their dream SFX school: Makeup Wars. The winner of the competition gets a scholarship. But among all the fierce competition is Eli’s ex-boyfriend, Zach. Will they be able to make up?
Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian (Gay YA Contemporary/Historical)
This novel follows three generations of Iranian boys in Tehran and Los Angeles. In 1939, Bobby is thrust into the glitzy and dangerous world of Hollywood. In 1978, Saeed is sent to Los Angeles against his will after his parents find out he’s involved in the revolution. And in 2019, out gay teen Moud goes with his father Saeed to visit his dying grandfather in Tehran and uncovers family secrets.
You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie (F/F YA Contemporary)
The Rules of Us by Jennifer Nissley (Lesbian and Gay YA Contemporary)
If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St. Jude (Sapphic YA Contemporary)
Never Trust a Gemini by Freja Nicole Woolf (Lesbian YA Contemporary)
They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody (M/M Fake Dating YA Contemporary)
This is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde (Sapphic YA Thriller)
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz (Sapphic YA Graphic Novel)
Hana and Hina After School Vols. 1-3 by Milk Morinaga (High School Yuri Manga) (Rerelease)
Joy, to the World by Kai Shappley and Lisa Bunker (Trans Girl Middle Grade Contemporary)
I Am a Rainbow! by Mark Kanemura, illustrated by Steve Foxe Richard Merritt (LGBTQ Picture Book)
Dad and Daddy’s Big Big Family by Seamus Kirst and Karen Bunting (Two Dads Picture Book)
Door by Door: How Sarah McBride Became America’s First Openly Transgender Senator by Meeg Pincus and Meridth McKean Gimbel (Trans Nonfiction Picture Book)
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
In honor of the release week of The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz (which is what inspired the title of this newsletter), I wanted to talk about some other queer fantasy graphic novels! These ones are both middle grade, but they have appeal for readers of all ages.
DeadEndia: the Watcher’s Test
by Hamish Steele
Barney is a trans guy who has started working at an amusement park — and secretly moved into the haunted house attraction with his dog, Pugsley. But things get even more complicated when it turns out to contain a portal to hell. When Pugsley is possessed, Barney has to work with his co-workers — including his crush Logan — to save him…and the world. There’s also a Dead End: Paranormal Park TV show!
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Prince Sebastian has a secret. By night, he’s Lady Crystallia, the fashion icon. His best friend Frances is the only one who knows about his other persona, and she’s the one who makes him stunning dresses. But Sebastian is supposed to find a bride soon, and Frances wants to be known for her incredible dressmaking skills, not kept a secret forever. Soon, he’ll have to merge his two lives, or leave behind his love of dresses. (This one has a gender-nonconforming main character, but no specific identity label attached.)
All the Links Fit to Click
The Lesbrary (that’s me!): 50+ New Sapphic Books Out in May 2023
These LGBTQ Reads Prove That Book Bans Are Regressive Trash
All the LGBTQ+ (and Queerish) Characters in the MCU So Far
C.E. McGill, author of Our Hideous Progeny, writes about queerness, monstrosity, and Frankenstein
In Lesbian YA Debut If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come, Teen Girls Find Love in the Midst of an Asteroid Barreling Toward Earth
Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl Is a Swoony Queer Neurodiverse Romance
Autistic Teen Girl Takes On the Rich and Powerful in Queer YA Thriller This Is The Way The World Ends
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