I have to admit, all I’m thinking about right now is the Roe vs. Wade draft leak. This puts so many people (including queer and trans people) in danger. Between this and the recent laws targeting trans people (especially youth) and the wave of book bans that accuse anyone writing/teaching/carrying queer kids’ or YA books of “grooming,” it feels like an erosion of progress when there was already so far to go. It would also set a precedented for rolling back further rights, including marriage equality.
If you have the ability, here is a list of abortion funds in every state. Contribute to organizations that are trans-inclusive: this isn’t just a women’s healthcare issue. It includes trans men and non-binary people who can get pregnant. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this, materially and emotionally. Take care of yourselves, and take care of each other.
Great Queer Books for Under $5
I was putting together the daily deals on Book Riot and saw that there were quite a few great queer books on sale right now, so I wanted to point them out to you! These were accurate when writing, which is the day before you’re seeing this, so I apologize if any have expired. Let’s jump in!
- Under The Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta (Lesbian Fiction) for $1.99
- Real Life by Brandon Taylor (Queer Fiction) for $1.99
- Memorial by Bryan Washington (Gay Fiction) for $1.99
- The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh (A Pride and Prejudice Novel) by Molly Greeley (Sapphic Historical Fiction) for $1.99
- Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur (F/F Romance) for $2.99
- D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins (F/F Romance) for $1.99
- Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey (F/F Romance) for $4.99
- No Rings Attached by Rachel Lacey (F/F Romance) for $4.99
- The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska (Sapphic YA Fantasy) for $1.99
- Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (Asexual YA Fantasy) for $2.99
- Punch Me Up To The Gods by Brian Broome (Gay Memoir) for $1.99
- The One You Want to Marry (And Other Identities I’ve Had) by Sophie Santos (Lesbian Memoir) for $1.99
- Bad Fat Black Girl: Notes from a Trap Feminist by Sesali Bowen (Queer Nonfiction) for $1.99
Apologies to your TBR and wallet!
All the Links Fit to Click
- Eight Romance Books Featuring Butches, Studs, and Masc of Center Characters
- LGBTQ AAPI books to read for AAPI Heritage Month
- Slide Into Spring And Summer With These Fabulously Gay [and Queer] Reads
- Check out these Trans Masc YA Audiobooks
- Here’s What The Heartstopper Characters Look Like In The Netflix Series Vs. The Graphic Novels
- Curve Magazine Isn’t Done Shaping Lesbian Culture
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
LGBTQ Book Riot Posts
- 19 Must-Read Queer Books Out in May
- Ahoy!: Queer Pirate Books
- Heartwarming Queer YA Books Like Netflix’s HEARTSTOPPER
- Quiz: You’re Going on a Scavenger Hunt to Find Your Next Fun Queer YA Read
- How ¡HOLA PAPI! Helps Me Navigate My Queerness
- 10 Poetry Books by LGBTQ Asian Authors To Read Right Now
- London Catholic School Teachers Strike Over Cancelled LGBTQ Book Talk
New Releases This Week
Wow! There are so many queer books out today! I promise I narrowed it down — this isn’t a complete list — but it was hard to keep it to just this overflowing list.
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill (Lesbian Fantasy)
In the 1950s, women’s repressed rage sparked the Mass Dragoning. Alex’s aunt Marla was one of the women who transformed, but her family refuses to speak about her now — dragons are impolite to even acknowledge. As her cousin Bea becomes obsessed with dragons, Alex struggles to find her place in this world. This has a lesbian main character and is a trans-inclusive story about misogyny and women’s anger. Barnhill also wrote a Twitter thread about the news story that led her to writing this book and how it is still painfully relevant years later.
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston (F/F YA Contemporary)
From the author of Red, White, and Royal Blue and One Last Stop comes their YA debut! Chloe is determined to finally beat golden girl Shara and become valedictorian — and then Shara 1) kisses her and 2) disappears, leaving a trail of clues behind her. Chloe soon finds out she kissed two other people that night: the broody boy next door, Rory, and Shara’s boyfriend, Smith. Together, they try to find out where she went. Amidst this scavenger hunt with a countdown clock, Chloe realizes she might have had Chloe wrong — and also that her classmates may be more queer than she thought in this strict Christian school.
Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado (Sapphic YA Horror)
This follows Raquel, who teams up with her crush, Charlize, to enter the Echo: a nightmare version of the worst time in the Bronx’s history. There, they try to rescue Charlize’s cousin and find a cure for the strange mold originating there that put Raquel’s mom into a coma. This weaves in lessons about the real-life history of the Bronx Burning, but there’s also body horror, monstrous centipedes, and just a pinch of discussions of cannibalism.
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris (Gay Fiction) (Paperback Rerelease)
What We Do in the Dark by Michelle Hart (Sapphic Fiction)
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Little Rabbit by Alyssa Songsiridej (Queer Fiction) [Unhealthy M/F Relationship]
Chef’s Kiss by TJ Alexander (F/NB Romance)
Queerly Beloved by Book Rioter Susie Dumond (F/F Romance)
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon (Queer Speculative Fiction) (Paperback Rerelease)
When You Call My Name by Tucker Shaw (Gay M/M YA 90s Historical Fiction)
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor (Non-binary YA Mystery)
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The Real Riley Mayes by Rachel Elliott (Queer Middle Grade Fiction)
Cinderelliot: A Scrumptious Fairytale by Mark Ceilley, Rachel Smoka-Richardson, and Stephanie Laberis (Gay Picture Book)
‘Twas the Night Before Pride by Joanna McClintick and Juana Medina (Two Moms Picture Book)
Miss Rita, Mystery Reader by Sam Donovan and Kristen Wixted; illustrated by Violet Tobacco (Drag Queen Dad, Non-Binary Kid Picture Book)
Mizuno and Chayama by Yuhta Nishio (Yuri Manga)
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Kisses For Jet by Joris Bas Backer (Trans Graphic Memoir)
Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir by Brian Broome (Gay Memoir) (Paperback Rerelease)
This Has Always Been a War: The Radicalization of a Working Class Queer by Lori Fox (Non-Binary Essays)
Missing from the Village: The Story of Serial Killer Bruce McArthur, the Search for Justice, and the System That Failed Toronto’s Queer Community by Justin Ling (Queer Nonfiction) (Paperback Rerelease)
You Still Look the Same by Farzana Doctor (Queer Poetry)
Diaries of a Terrorist by Christopher Soto (Queer Poetry)
That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at my bi and lesbian book blog, the Lesbrary, as well as on Twitter @danikaellis. You can also hear me on All the Books or you can read my Book Riot posts.
Happy reading!
Danika