There are lots of amazing queer books out this week! A queer and feminist western, a bisexual “unicorn” thriller, a nonbinary manga memoir, and so many more.
Also, I just stumbled on these and had to share: if you want a “I’m just here for the lesbian pining” or “My local bookstore is gayer than your honor roll student” bumper sticker, A Room of One’s Own Bookstore has you covered.
Today, I wanted to highlight the nonprofit Black Trans Liberation, which aims to keep Black trans people off the street and extend the life expectancy of Black trans people. You help out by checking out their donation page, and you can follow them on Instagram.
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Bookish Goods
You are Loved Pride Flag by Transpainter
We’re near the end of Pride month, but flying a Pride flag at your house keeps the spirit alive in the other months — and helps the queer people in your community feel a little safer. There’s also a Trans Rights are Human Rights flag in the same style! $37
New Releases
There are so many exciting new releases out today that I had a tough time narrowing it down to even these five! So definitely make sure to click through to the other books listed today, too.
Also, I don’t usually include sequels in this list, but The Shadow Cabinet (Her Majesty’s Royal Coven #2) by Juno Dawson is also out today.
The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz (Bisexual Thriller)
Ask any bisexual woman, and she probably has her own horror story about being “unicorn hunted.” The Spare Room takes this to another level: Kelly has just been dumped by her fiancé when her friend Sabrina and his husband Nathan offer her the spare bedroom in their remote mansion. During her stay, she finds herself falling for them both — and they open up their marriage for her. But she soon realizes she’s not the first woman they’ve done this to, and the previous one has gone missing…
Can’t Let Her Go by Kianna Alexander (F/F Romance)
I can’t resist a sapphic friends to lovers romance. Peaches and Jamie are friends who both have feelings for each other, but is this the right time to see if romance is in the cards? Jamie is planning to move away for college and is not yet sure where she’ll be next year. Peaches is taking care of her whole family after her mother passed away, along with managing her own business, which has her stretched thin. Even if the timing is not ideal, though, they can’t deny the chemistry between them.
Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens (Sapphic Western)
Lucky Red is a queer, feminist take on the Western genre. It’s 1877, and Bridget is a 16-year-old orphan struggling to survive. When she joins Buffalo Queen, a women-run brothel, she finds community with the other women there as well as financial stability. When a notorious female gunslinger comes to town, Bridget falls for her, but other new arrivals threaten to upend the fragile peace of Dodge City. She’ll have to defend her found family — or lose everything, again.
Nuclear Family by Joseph Han (Queer Fiction) (Paperback Rerelease)
Old Enough by Haley Jakobson (Bisexual Fiction)
Mrs. S by K. Patrick (Sapphic Fiction)
Gods of Want: Stories by K-Ming Chang (Queer Short Stories) (Paperback Rerelease)
Through the Groves by Anne Hull (Lesbian Memoir)
The LGBT Cuban Revolution by Wilfred W. Labiosa (LGBT Nonfiction)
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
There are so many interesting new releases out today that I had to spotlight at least five of them. Here are a couple of the nonfiction titles you need to know about!
Until I Love Myself: The Journey of a Nonbinary Manga Artist by Poppy Pesuyama (Nonbinary Manga Memoir)
We’ve had a few nonbinary manga memoirs in the past year or two (At 30, I Realized I Had No Gender and X-Gender), which is nice to see! In this one, Poppy discusses what it’s like to be a nonbinary mangaka (manga artist), including the sexual harassment they’ve faced at work.
Tar Hollow Trans by Stacy Jane Grover (Trans Essays)
I’ve heard so much about this one that I’m surprised it’s only come out now! Kendra Winchester, our resident Appalachian literature expert, has written about Tar Hollow Trans several times for the site. This collection of essays explores Stacy Jane Grover’s childhood growing up trans in Appalachia, as well as examining the labels of trans and Appalachian: what they have in common, how difficult they are to pin down, and how they’ve contributed to the person she is today.
All the Links Fit to Click
LGBTQ librarians are trying to keep vital books accessible to queer youth, despite bans
Reading is fundamental: inside Britain’s queer bookshop boom
LGBTQ Books with Paperback Cover Redesigns Out in 2023
12 Sapphic Roller Derby Books for When You Miss the Track (The Lesbrary)
Do Queer Books Still Need a Happy Ending? (The Lesbrary)
Queer Book Blogs You Need to Read (The Lesbrary)
Geena Rocero on Coming Out as a Trans Model & Her New Memoir Horse Barbie
Bringing the Lesbian Vampire Home: Carmen Maria Machado’s Reclamation of Carmilla (The Lesbrary)
Leah Johnson’s Middle Grade Debut Ellie Engle Saves Herself Will Take You Right Back to Seventh Grade
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