Buckle up for a whole lot of exciting queer new releases out this week! Gird your Pride TBR! In fact, I have 23 books to highlight that are out on the 23rd — so, of course I had to double up to talk about a couple more of them in Riot Recs.
Also, a very important update on the last newsletter where I talked about two queer books I’ve read that feature a dog named Waffles: I’ve learned that Susie Dumond, Book Rioter and author of the queer romance Queerly Beloved, has a dog named Waffles!! I’ve included a photo of real-life Waffles at the end of the newsletter.
Today, 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.
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
Protect Queer Kids Postcards/Prints – Set of 3 by roctothorpe
Put these up to let the queer kids in your life know you car, or send them as postcards. 50% of the profits go to Black Trans Liberation Kitchen. $5
New Releases
The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor (Queer Fiction)
The Late Americans is the newest from Brandon Taylor, the bestselling author of Real Life and Filthy Animals. It follows a group of friends, lovers, and acquaintances living in Iowa City, most of whom are queer. It offers vignettes from a wide range of perspectives, all in a moment of upheaval and uncertainty.
Love at First Set by Jennifer Dugan (F/F Romance)
I really enjoyed the sapphic YA romances I’ve read from Dugan, especially Hot Dog Girl, so I’m excited to pick up her first adult romance! When Lizzie gets drunk at a wedding and gives a stranger a pep talk in the bathroom, she accidentally convinces the bride to ditch the wedding. And whoops, that runaway bride is Cara, the daughter of the owners of the gym Lizzie works for. As Lizzie tries to keep this secret from them, she finds herself falling for Cara.
All the Things We Don’t Talk About by Amy Feltman (Nonbinary Fiction) (Paperback Release)
The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer (Sapphic Fiction)
Wild Things by Laura Kay (Sapphic Fiction)
Your Love is Not Good by Johanna Hedva (Queer Fiction)
The Language of Love and Loss by Bart Yates (Queer Fiction)
Rehearsed to Death (Domestic Partners in Crime #2) by Frank Anthony Polito (M/M Cozy Mystery)
Remain Silent by Robyn Gigl (Trans Woman Thriller)
Enchanted By Her by Chelsea M. Cameron (F/F Romance)
Catering to Love (Departments of Love #1) by Joshua Ian (M/M Historical Romance)
They Ain’t Proper by M.B. Guel (NB/F Western Romance)
The Battle Drum (The Ending Fire Trilogy #2) by Saara El-Arifi (Sapphic Fantasy)
Trance, Vol. 1 by Joey Capuana, Pablo Collar, and Julio Rojas (Queer Fantasy Comics)
DC Pride: The New Generation (Queer Comics)
Grand Slam Romance by Oliva Hicks and Emma Oosterhous (Queer Graphic Novel)
Girl Juice by Benji Nate (Sapphic Graphic Novel)
Poison Ivy 1: The Virtuous Cycle by G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara, and Arif Prianto (Sapphic Comics)
My Dear Agent, Volume 1 by Ebino Bisque (BL Manga)
Manner of Death, Vol. 1 by Yukari Umemoto and Sammon (M/M Thriller Manga)
I Could Not Believe It: The 1979 Teenage Diaries of Sean DeLear by Sean DeLear, edited by Michael Bullock and Cesar Padilla (Queer Diaries)
Surviving the Future: Abolitionist Queer Strategies edited by Scott Branson, Raven Hudson, and Bry Reed (Queer Nonfiction)
Working-Class Queers: Time, Place and Politics by Yvette Taylor (Queer Nonfiction)
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
There are so many great queer books out today, I had to talk about a couple more! Here are two queer comics out this week.
Grand Slam Romance by Ollie Hicks and Emma Oosterhous (Queer Graphic Novel)
Mickey and Astra were best friends with a romantic undertone when Astra disappeared to train as a softball star in Switzerland. Now, she’s back, and Mickey’s life is turned upside down. They are still angry — and still attracted to her. They’ll stop at nothing to beat Astra, including betraying their team and dating Astra’s ex. Oh, and did I mention Astra is a magical girl?
DC Pride: The New Generation (Queer Comics)
DC and Marvel both have Pride collections out this year (Marvel’s comes out in June) — perfect for queer superhero fans. This includes stories about Superman (Jon Kent), Nubia, Tim Drake, Kid Quick, Connor Hawke, Aquaman (Jackson Hyde), Green Lantern (Jo Mullein), Alysia Yeoh, the Ray, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Batwoman.
Meet Susie Dumond’s adorable dog Waffles! Clearly, this is the correct name for a dog, at least in the queer book world.
That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at my sapphic book blog the Lesbrary and (sigh) Twitter. You can also hear me on All the Books or you can read my Book Riot posts.
Happy reading!
Danika