Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Bisexual Werebears and Other Queer Shapeshifters

We’re back! Luckily, this was a light week for new releases, so even though there wasn’t a Tuesday newsletter, this one isn’t out of control. I hope you enjoyed your long weekend, if you had one, and let’s talk about queer books!

Prison Books Collective is looking for more queer fiction, especially trans and gay books! The information on how to donate books is on their Instagram!

What do S.A. Cosby, Khaled Hosseini, Sarah Bakewell, and Yahdon Israel have in common? They’ve been guests on Book Riot’s newest podcast, First Edition where BookRiot.com co-founder Jeff O’Neal explores the wide bookish world. Subscribe to hear them and stay to hear Book Riot’s editors pick the “it” book of the month.

Bookish Goods

a pin of Nimona with dragon wings

Nimona Recycled Acrylic Pin by FleurMarigold

Everyone is loving the Nimona movie! If you want to carry Nimona everywhere you go, here’s a pin to preorder! $13

New Releases

Because of the holiday, there aren’t many books out this week. Also, the releases I could find aren’t as diverse as I’d like: we need more queer books by and about people of colour!

the cover of A Place for Us

A Place for Us by Brandon J. Wolf (Queer Memoir)

Brandon J. Wolf is an LGBTQ+ activist who is also a survivor of the Pulse Nightclub terror attack. In this memoir, he talks about his journey growing up in a racist and homophobic small town in rural Oregon to finding his community in Orlando — and how that safe space was ripped away. This experience inspired him to become the activist he is today, and A Place for Us reminds us that the fight is not over: “With our backs against the wall,” he writes, “we find a way out together.”

the cover of All About Romance

All About Romance by Daniel Tawse (Nonbinary YA Contemporary) (UK Release)

The U.S. may have paused most of its releases for the Fourth of July, but the UK didn’t! This UK YA release is about Roman, a nonbinary teen in a small town where they feel isolated, especially in terms of dating. When they start getting anonymous postcards in their locker, they think they know who their secret admirer is — but will they be brave enough to act?

A Man of Lies by Ben Crane (Achillean Crime Fiction)

The Beasts of Paris by Stef Penney (Achillean Historical Fiction)

Of Love and Libraries by Brenna Bailey (F/F Romance)

For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Since Nimona is getting so much attention, I thought I’d highlight a couple of other queer books with shapeshifting main characters! Now, “gay shapeshifter books” is a very specific genre, but I’ve gone in a different direction with these two.

the cover of Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor

This is your favorite queer author’s favorite queer book. It’s praised by Carmen Maria Machado, Eileen Myles, Michelle Tea, Maggie Nelson, and many more. It follows Paul, a queer person in 1993 who can change their body at will: from Riot Grrrl to leather cub. Paul travels across the country, celebrating the joys and mourning the losses of the queer community in the early ’90s.

the cover of Bearly a Lady by Cassandra Khaw

Bearly a Lady by Cassandra Khaw

Zelda is a bisexual plus-sized woman working in the fashion world — who is also a werebear. Which is really damaging her wardrobe. This book is filled with wacky romantic hijinks as she plays bodyguard for a fae nobleman while crushing on a werewolf. (There’s also a female love interest, but I won’t spoil who.) This was such a fun read, and it was a real shock when I read Khaw’s other books and found out they usually write gruesome horror novels!

This was a limited release, so the physical copy is hard to get ahold of, but you can find the ebook on Kobo.

All the Links Fit to Click

Happy Disability Pride Month 2023! (LGBTQ Reads)

Minnie Bruce Pratt, Lesbian Poet, Essayist, and Activist, Has Died at 76

9 must-read books encapsulating the queer Asian experience

Book Ban Corner

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

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Around The World In Queer Bookstores

Happy Pride! This is the last Our Queerest Shelves in June — in fact, we’re taking the 4th of July off, so I won’t see you until the 6th! I hope Pride month treated you well. Meanwhile, my local Pride starts in July, so I’m just getting started.

In case you missed it, Kelly Jensen put together a list of educators raising money to be able to add queer books to their classroom libraries! Some of them have been funded, but there are still plenty that need help reaching their goal.

Looking for fascinating stories, informed takes, useful advice, and more drawn from our collective experience as power readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and bookish professionals? Subscribe to The Deep Dive, a biweekly newsletter to inform and inspire readers, delivered to your inbox! Your first read (The Power Reader’s Guide to Reading Logs & Trackers) is on the house. Check out all the details and choose your membership level at bookriot.substack.com

Bookish Goods

a photo of two large enamel pins showing Sailor Moon characters at a pride parade

Sailor Moon Pride Pins by MochMochPins

Today’s Riot Recs has a yuri manga theme, so I had to include the original manga/anime lesbians in my life, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. Plus, what a great way to close out Pride! There are several designs with different Sailor Moon characters. $63

New Releases

manslaughter park book cover

Manslaughter Park by Tirzah Price (Bisexual YA Historical Mystery)

This one is by Book Riot’s own Tirzah Price! Manslaughter Park is the third book in the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries series, and it’s the first one with a queer main character. There’s a love story between Fanny Price and Mary Crawford! It’s Jane Austen, but queer and with murder. What’s not to like?

the cover of The Follower of Flowers

The Follower of Flowers (Flowers of Prophecy #2) by Natalia Hernandez (Sapphic YA Fantasy)

This is the sequel to The Name-Bearer. The Name-Bearer was raised to receive the name of the next royal from Flowers of Prophecy. When that prophecy doesn’t play out as planned, the Name-Bearer hides with a group of warrior women, preparing to find the Unnamed Prince and embrace her true destiny.

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake, narrated by Krystal Hammond (Sapphic YA Contemporary) (Audiobook Rerelease)

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (Queer YA Thriller) (Paperback Rerelease)

Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire by Erica Hollis (Lesbian F/F YA Fantasy)

Godslayers (Gearbreakers #2) by Zoe Hana Mikuta, narrated by Catherine Ho and Cindy Kay (Sapphic YA Fantasy) (Audiobook Rerelease)

Molly’s Tuxedo by Vicki Johnson and Gillian Reid (Gender Creative Picture Book)

For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Yesterday I finally got my library hold for She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat Vol. 2 and absolutely adored it, so I thought I’d talk about two yuri manga series with adult main characters that I’ve read and loved recently! It used to be that yuri manga (at least available in English) was almost entirely schoolgirls, so I really appreciate this shift in recent years!

the cover of She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 1

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat series by Sakaomi Yuzaki

Cooking is Nomoto’s passion, but there’s only so much you can cook for yourself as a single person — and she resents the assumption that the value of her cooking is for feeding men. So when she finds out a neighbor, Kasuga, has a big appetite, she invites her to eat dinner together. I think this is my new favorite manga series, though there are only two volumes so far. I love Nomoto and Kasuga’s relationship dynamic — it’s a little ambiguous in the first volume, but Nomoto is confirmed to be a lesbian in Vol. 2. I appreciate the discussion of gender norms, too. (Also, is Kasuga the butch of my dreams? Maybe.)

the cover of My Cute Little Kitten Vol. 1 by Milk Morinaga

My Cute Little Kitten Vol. 1 by Milk Morinaga

This is the newest from the author of the yuri classic Girl Friends. Rena and Yuna have been roommates since college. When Yuna finds a kitten and asks Rena about moving to a pet-friendly place, Rena can’t hide let this go on any longer: she confesses that she’s been in love with Yuna for years, expecting Yuna to no longer want to live with her. But she doesn’t get the answer she expected. With most manga series, I feel like one volume is about the equivalent of a chapter in a prose novel, but this one covered so much! I’m really looking forward to the next volume!

All the Links Fit to Click

42 of My Favorite Sapphic Graphic Novels and Comics (The Lesbrary)

The Best Sapphic Books of 2023 (So Far) (The Lesbrary)

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

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Drag Is Not a Crime

One of today’s new releases is a Harlequin Medical Romance between two Black women, and it warms my heart to see LGBTQ books in places that used to be so very straight (and white). Little victories!

Today’s featured Bookish Good (that gives this newsletter its title) is raising money for the Tennessee Equality Project. Even if you don’t need another tee shirt, consider donating to this organization working for equality for LGBTQ people in Tennessee.

Looking for fascinating stories, informed takes, useful advice, and more drawn from our collective experience as power readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and bookish professionals? Subscribe to The Deep Dive, a biweekly newsletter to inform and inspire readers, delivered to your inbox! Your first read (The Power Reader’s Guide to Reading Logs & Trackers) is on the house. Check out all the details and choose your membership level at bookriot.substack.com

Bookish Goods

Drag is Not a Crime Shirt by StangirlThings

I first saw this DARE parody shirt on Critical Role (a quite queer D&D show) and fell in love with it. Now you can get it and have $5 go toward the Tennessee Equality Project! Available in S to 3XL sizes. $25

New Releases

cover of the archive undying

The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon (Queer Sci-Fi)

In the Downworld Sequence, AI gods rule. Khuon Mo is one robotic god who turned against creations, striking down a whole city. But before it died, it brought back its favorite child, Sunai. In the 17 years since, Sunai has been running away from his destiny, escaping with drugs and men. But one of the men he sleeps with leads him right back to the dangerous politics of AI gods. This is described as a “sci-fi series where AI deities and brutal police states clash, wielding giant robots steered by pilot-priests with corrupted bodies”!

the cover of Daddy Boy

Daddy Boy by Emerson Whitney (Nonbinary Memoir)

In 2017, Emerson was divorcing their dominatrix wife that they called Daddy, and was feeling completely lost. They dive into storm chasing, and along the way, they remember the father figures in their life, trying to put together their own relationship to masculinity as an adult. Emerson explains, “We often look to our gender roles as a sort of map for aging. I wanted to know what the process looked like without that: not man-ness, not-woman-ness.”

Twin Babies to Reunite Them by Ann McIntosh (F/F Romance)

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (Sapphic Speculative Fiction) (Paperback Rerelease)

the cover of Twin Babies to Reunite Them

The Red Scholar’s Wake by Aliette de Bodard, narrated by Aoife Hinds (Sapphic Fantasy) (Audiobook Rerelease)

Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire by Erica Hollis (Lesbian F/F YA Fantasy)

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake, narrated by Krystal Hammond (Sapphic YA Contemporary) (Audiobook Rerelease)

Negative Money by Lillian-Yvonne Bertram (Nonbinary Poetry)

Song of My Softening by Omotara James (Queer Poetry)

God Themselves by Jae Nichelle, narrated by the author (Queer Poetry) (Audiobook Rerelease)

Begin Transmission: The Trans Allegories of the Matrix by Tilly Bridges (Nonfiction)

For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today, I’m returning again to the 2023 Read Harder Challenge! The next task up is #12: Read a nonfiction book about BIPOC and/or queer history, but since I just covered that in Pride is a Protest, let’s skip to #13: Read an author local to you.

Obviously, this depends on where you are! I live in BC, Canada, and it probably comes as no shock to say that there are a lot of queer authors to choose from in the Vancouver and Victoria areas. Here are just two!

the cover of Pride Puppy

Robin Stevenson

Robin Stevenson has been writing queer YA and kids’ books since 2010! She has Pride books for babies (Pride Colors), young kids (Pride Puppy!), and tweens/teens (Pride), along with a ton of other books, both fiction and nonfiction. I also appreciate the she does writing about abortion access (My Body My Choice: The Fight for Abortion Rights as well as the sapphic YA novel Under Threat). Oh, and she regularly sponsors and raises money for refugees coming to the area. What a fantastic person.

the cover of The Gospel of Breaking

Jillian Christmas

Jillian Christmas is a queer, Afro-Caribbean author whose first book is a poetry collection called The Gospel of Breaking. Her work often discusses colonialism as well as queerness. In 2021, she won the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. I also highly recommend her picture book The Magic Shell, which follows an ungendered child character traveling through time to meet different generations of their ancestors.

All the Links Fit to Click

12 Sapphic Roller Derby Books for When You Miss the Track (The Lesbrary)

The 10 Most Highly Anticipated Sapphic Books Out in the Rest of 2023 (The Lesbrary)

the cover of And Tango Makes Three

Authors of And Tango Makes Three sue over Don’t Say Gay law that got their book banned in a Florida school (Pink News)

Ferndale library adds more LGBTQ+ books after “Hide the Pride campaign attempt to remove them — this is a heartwarming response to anti-LGBTQ censorship: the community raised money to replace the books plus lots more!

Book Bans Be Damned: Chicago’s Queer-Owned Bookstores Won’t Stop Fighting For LGBTQ+ Community (Block Club Chicago)

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

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Queer Kids at Summer Camp

I hope you like sapphic YA horror novels, because that’s what most of these new releases are! I’m so excited to pick up Kalynn Bayron’s sapphic summer camp slasher, You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight. But I have also spotlighted some queer middle grade summer camp stories that are a little sunnier.

Speaking of queer kids, one way you can fight back against censorship of LGBTQ kids’ books is by donating to the classrooms on DonorsChoose that are raising money to carry diverse books! Let’s get these all funded!

Did you know this isn’t the only Book Riot newsletter I write for? I also contribute to The Deep Dive! Looking for fascinating stories, informed takes, useful advice, and more drawn from our collective experience as power readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and bookish professionals? Subscribe to The Deep Dive, a biweekly newsletter to inform and inspire readers, delivered to your inbox! Your first read (The Power Reader’s Guide to Reading Logs & Trackers) is on the house. Check out all the details and choose your membership level at bookriot.substack.com

Bookish Goods

a photo of a black tank top with the text Protect Queer Youth

Protect Queer Youth Tank Top by AngiePea

This newsletter has a summer camp theme, and this tank top is a great way to get ready for hot weather. 5% from every order goes to mutual aid projects. $30

New Releases

Cover of You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron (Sapphic YA Horror)

If you loved the Netflix adaptation of Fear Street, you’re going to need to pick this up. Kalynn Bayron is the author of Cinderella is Dead and the This Poison Heart series, and this is her first horror novel. It follows Charity, who is playing the “final girl” in a slasher-themed summer camp. But when people start turning up dead for real, she’ll have to find a way to get her and her girlfriend out alive.

the cover of Ode to My First Car

Ode to My First Car by Robin Gow (Bisexual F/F YA Contemporary)

It’s the summer before senior year, and Claire can’t keep hiding the fact that she’s bisexual and has feelings for her lifelong best friend, Sophia. To pay for repairs on her car, she takes a summer job at a nursing home, and becomes close with Lena, an 88-year-old lesbian. Spending time with her makes Claire more confident in her identity — but then a new girl, Pen, walks into her life, and Claire is torn between a new crush and the feelings for Sophia she’s been repressing for so long.

This Wicked Fate (This Poison Heart #2) by Kalynn Bayron, narrated by Jordan Cobb (Sapphic YA Fantasy Audiobook Rerelease)

Venom & Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore and Elliot McLemore, narrated by MW Cartozian Wilson and Vico Ortiz (Trans YA Fantasy Audiobook Rerelease)

Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould (Queer YA Horror)

The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis (Sapphic YA Horror)

For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

You’re Not Supposed To Die Tonight plays on the inherent horror potential of summer camp, and it got me thinking about other queer books set at summer camp, so here a few middle grade examples!

Lumberjanes is the most well-known queer middle grade summer camp story, of course, but here are a couple others. And this is far from an exhaustive list!

cover of in the key of us by mariama j lockington

In the Key of Us by Mariama J. Lockington

Andi came to music camp hoping to regain the love she had for playing the trumpet before her mother died. Zora came because her parents are sure she’s a flute prodigy, though she would rather dance. They bond over being two of the only Black girls at camp, and as they begin to open up and share their struggles, they also start to fall for each other.

Check out Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow for another great sapphic middle grade novel set as a summer music camp!

Cover of Camp QUILTBAG by Melleby

Camp QUILTBAG by Nicole Melleby and A.J. Sass

This one just came out in March! It follows two kids at Camp Quiltbag: Kai and Abigail. Abigail is excited to be somewhere she can be herself, and maybe even talk about her crush on Laura Dern. Kai, though, has less positive reasons for being here: an incident e doesn’t want to remember left eir arm in a sling and eir parents nervous enough to send em to a trans- and queer-inclusive summer camp, though e would rather be hanging out with eir best friend back home. Abigail and Kai team up to help each other navigate camp. They also have a competition between cabins to win!

All the Links Fit to Click

In Pageboy, Elliot Page Gets Vulnerable About Gender Dysphoria, Trans Joy, and Much More

12 New and Emerging LGBTQ+ Writers to Read for Pride 2023

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

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

I’m Just Here for the Lesbian Pining

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.

Looking for fascinating stories, informed takes, useful advice, and more drawn from our collective experience as power readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and bookish professionals? Subscribe to The Deep Dive, a biweekly newsletter to inform and inspire readers, delivered to your inbox! Your first read (The Power Reader’s Guide to Reading Logs & Trackers) is on the house. Check out all the details and choose your membership level at bookriot.substack.com

Bookish Goods

a photo of a progress Pride flag with flower illustrations and the text You Are Loved

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 cover of Spare Room

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…

cover of Can't Let Her Go

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 Book Cover

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)

the cover of Old Enough by Haley Jakobson

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!

the cover of Until I Love Myself Volume 1

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.

a graphic of the cover of Tar Hollow Trans: Essays by Stacy Jane Grover

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)

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

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Queering the Timeline

There are two different books out today about queer kids/teens living through weird timelines! One is Sliding Doors-style, and one is Groundhog Day-style. They also have delightfully complementary covers.

Since it’s Pride month, I want to highlight The Okra Project, a mutual aid collective that provides support for Black Trans people. You can help out at their donate page.

Looking for fascinating stories, informed takes, useful advice, and more drawn from our collective experience as power readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and bookish professionals? Subscribe to The Deep Dive, a biweekly newsletter to inform and inspire readers, delivered to your inbox! Your first read (The Power Reader’s Guide to Reading Logs & Trackers) is on the house. Check out all the details and choose your membership level at bookriot.substack.com

Bookish Goods

a round pink earring with the text Stonewall is a riot

Stonewall Was a Riot Earrings by WildFancyDesign

Remember the true meaning of Pride with these earrings. (This is a queer-owned shop!) $28+

New Releases

This week only has a few children’s and YA releases, so I get to talk about each of them!

the cover of Going Bicoastal

Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler (Bisexual YA Contemporary)

Dahlia Adler is a name you need to know in queer YA. First of all, she writes amazing books like this one, Home Field Advantage, Cool for the Summer, and more. But she also happens to run one of the best queer book blogs out there, which I’ve mentioned many times in this newsletter: LGBTQ Reads.

I managed to get an ARC of Going Bicoastal, so I can tell you it’s just as good as the stunning cover would suggest! This is the most bisexually structured book I’ve ever read. Natalya has to make a choice between spending the summer with her estranged mother in L.A. (where she meets and falls for a boy) or with her dad in NYC (where she gets to know the girl she’s been crushing on from afar). In alternating chapters, we see her life in both versions, Sliding Doors-style — because binary choices are bullshit. It feels completely natural to swap between them, and it’s comforting, because, as the cover says, “There’s more than one path to happily ever after.”

the cover of Vivian Lantz's Second Chances

Vivian Lantz’s Second Chances by Kathryn Ormsbee (Bisexual Middle Grade Time Loop Story)

The first day of school is always hard, especially for Vivian. She’s had a string of bad luck with first days. But the first day of 8th grade turns out to be the worst one yet — and then she has to do it all over again, stuck in her own Groundhog Day scenario. Along the way, she has to let go of trying to have the “perfect” first day, and instead learn to be true to herself, even when it’s messy.

the cover of The Summer You Were There Vol. 3

The Summer You Were There Vol. 3 by Yuama (Yuri YA Manga)

Kaori convinced shy Shizuku to start fake dating her in order to inspire Shizuku’s writing. Of course, real feelings start to develop between them — but they’re made more complicated when Kaori admits to her past as a school bully, and it comes out that Shizuku is hiding her own secrets.

For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

We need more queer Black books. One of the best ways to get more into the world is to preorder the ones we do have to show publishers that there is demand for these books. So, here are a couple queer Black books available to preorder now!

the cover of A Song of Salvation

A Song of Salvation by Alechia Dow (July 11)

This is a YA space opera with a gay main character, Wesley. He’s a smuggler saving up to travel, and his latest job — transporting a wanted celebrity to some backwater planet called Earth — should set him up for life.

Zaira is the goddess Indigo reborn…though she’s never been able to access her powers. Now, she’s being sacrificed by the emperor. Her only chance is escaping and finding the prophesied boy Wesley, who is destined to help her take down the emperor and the god of destruction he worships.

Pick up The Sound of Stars while you wait!

the cover of Congratulations, The Best Is Over!, showing a cupcake that has fallen icing down

Congratulations, the Best Is Over! by R. Eric Thomas (August 8)

R. Eric Thomas finally had himself figured out and found success in his writing — so how did he end up back in the hometown that he hates? In these funny and insightful essays, Thomas discusses going to his 20-year high school reunion, dealing with a plague of gay frogs, and lots more.

Pick up Here for It while you wait!

All the Links Fit to Click

The full trailer for Nimona is out!

Most Anticipated LGBTQ Adult Fiction: July-December 2023

School Library Journal: Publishers Take Pride in Their LGBTQIA+ Titles

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

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Feeding the Resistance

Last newsletter, I shared some books with trans and autistic main characters, and a reader let me know about an upcoming YA book that fits the bill: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White. If you like horror, put this on your list for its September release!

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.

Looking for fascinating stories, informed takes, useful advice, and more drawn from our collective experience as power readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and bookish professionals? Subscribe to The Deep Dive, a biweekly newsletter to inform and inspire readers, delivered to your inbox! Your first read (The Power Reader’s Guide to Reading Logs & Trackers) is on the house. Check out all the details and choose your membership level at bookriot.substack.com

Bookish Goods

an art print with plants in rainbow colors and the text Nature is Queer

Nature is Queer print by ForagingGardener

Today’s Riot Recs is about queer cookbooks, and I just think this print would be a perfect choice to hang up in your queer kitchen. $21

New Releases

the cover of The First Bright Thing

The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson (Sapphic Fantasy)

I know there are so many people looking for something to scratch that Night Circus itch, and this looks like the perfect thing. Ringmaster (or Rin) is a time traveller who runs a circus for misfits with her wife, Odette, a trapeze artist. But soon another, dark circus appears, and the powerful ringmaster wants something from Rin, and will stop at nothing until he gets it.

the cover of Better Living Through Birding

Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper (Gay Memoir)

Going beyond the viral video, Christian Cooper tells his own story of being a gay Black man in America, as well as the life lessons he’s learned through birdwatching and being in nature. He also talks about being at Marvel and helping to introduce gay characters there!

Run Baby Run by Melissa Lenhardt (Sapphic Fiction)

Big Girl by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan (Queer Fiction) (Paperback Rerelease)

The Gulf Book Cover

Wild With All Regrets by E.L. Deards (Queer Historical Fiction)

The Gulf by Rachel Cochran (Sapphic Thriller)

Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding (Queer Thriller)

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi (Bisexual Romance) (Paperback Rerelease)

Finders Keepers by Radclyffe (F/F Romance)

Just One Dance by Jenny Frame (F/F Historical Romance)

the cover of You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

Prokaryote Season by Leo Fox (Queer Graphic Novel)

Parallel by Matthias Lehmann (Gay Historical Graphic Novel)

Lsbn by by Emma Jayne and Sloane Leong (Lesbian Sci-Fi Graphic Novel)

Cosmoknights, Vol. 2 by Hannah Templer (Sapphic Fantasy Graphic Novel)

If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die, Vol. 1 by Auri Hirao (Yuri Manga)

Even Though We’re Adults, Vol. 6 by Takako Shimura (F/F Manga)

the cover of Leg

Qualia the Purple: The Complete Manga Collection by Hisamitsu Ueo and Sirou Tsunasima (Yuri Manga)

At 30, I Realized I Had No Gender by Shou Arai (Intersex and Agender Manga Memoir)

X-Gender, Vol. 2 by Asuka Miyazaki (Nonbinary Manga Memoir)

Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It by Greg Marshall (Gay Memoir)

Asylum: A Memoir & Manifesto by Edafe Okporo (Gay Memoir) (Paperback Rerelease)

We Set the Night on Fire: Igniting the Gay Revolution by Martha Shelley (Lesbian Memoir)

To Name the Bigger Lie: A Memoir in Two Stories by Sarah Viren (Lesbian Memoir)

For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Today, I’m returning to the Read Harder challenge well with task #11: Read a cookbook cover to cover. There are actually lots of queer cookbooks, from Big Gay Ice Cream to several by Queer Eye‘s Antoni Porowski, but I picked out a couple by queer authors that should make for good reads, not just good food.

the cover of Feed the Resistance

Feed the Resistance: Recipes + Ideas for Getting Involved by Julia Turshen

This is a combination cookbook and collection of essays from activists. It suggests that we all have a role to play in the resistance, and that may be feeding and supporting other people in the fight. There are resources and ideas of how to get involved alongside recipes to try, whether you’re providing food at a protest or feeding the activist at home.

the cover of Masala Farm

Masala Farm: Stories and Recipes from an Uncommon Life in the Country by Suvir Saran

Suvir is an acclaimed chef who decided to leave the city and buy a farm with his partner, Charlie. In this book, he shares the joys and challenges of their experience, as well as recipes!

All the Links Fit to Click

Celebrating the Books That Queered Us

Quiz: What Sapphic Romance Novel Trope Is Your Destiny?

Elliot Page’s new memoir Pageboy is a vital story of queer trans acceptance

Geena Rocero’s Memoir Horse Barbie Is a Moving Chronicle of Trans Resilience and Joy

And a few from my very own sapphic book blog:

Reading Black Joy: 27 F/F Romances by Black Authors

The 9 Books of Sappho and Other Queer Lit Lost in the Fire

8 of the Best Sapphic Shakespeare Retellings

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

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Trans Autistic Books for Every Age

Sometimes I get frustrated by mainstream outlets only covering LGBTQIA2S+ books during Pride month, especially when it comes in the form of very generic lists. But on the bright side, there is such an abundance of queer book coverage in June! The links section is out of control! (Don’t worry, I didn’t include any of the boring, generic lists.)

Looking for fascinating stories, informed takes, useful advice, and more drawn from our collective experience as power readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and bookish professionals? Subscribe to The Deep Dive, a biweekly newsletter to inform and inspire readers, delivered to your inbox! Your first read (The Power Reader’s Guide to Reading Logs & Trackers) is on the house. Check out all the details and choose your membership level at bookriot.substack.com

…..

Right now, the East Coast of the U.S. and Canada are covered in smoke. This is even more dangerous for unhoused people. If you have some money to spare, consider donating to queer- and trans-friendly shelters in NYC and other areas dealing with unsafe air conditions.

Bookish Goods

a black tank top with the text Trans People Belong above a rose illustration

Trans People Belong Tank Top by angiepea

It’s summer, which means it’s time to ditch the sleeves. And it’s always a good time to let everyone around you know you love and support trans people. This is also available as a tee shirt or hoodie. $30

New Releases

the secret summer promise book cover

The Secret Summer Promise by Keah Brown (Sapphic YA Contemporary)

Andrea is determined to have the best summer ever. Last year, she spent the season in bed, recovering from a surgery for her cerebral palsy. This summer, she’s going skinny dipping, attending a Lizzo concert, hitting the amusement park, and…falling out of love with her best friend, Hailee, before her feelings ruin everything. Keah Brown is a journalist who has written for Teen Vogue, Elle, The New York Times, and more, and is the creator of #DisabledAndCute! This is her YA debut, and it promises to be a messy teen romance perfect for reading on the beach.

basil and oregano book cover

Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione (F/F YA Fantasy Graphic Novel)

I can’t even stand how adorable this looks. I need it right now. It’s about two teen girls, Basil Eyres and Arabella Oregano, who meet at Porta Bella Magiculinary Academy. They immediately fall for each other and begin working together on their final project. But Arabella has a secret that will change everything when it comes out. ALSO, there is a tomato dog on the cover! Magical cooking and a sapphic love story in graphic novel form — what more could you possibly ask for?

Pedro & Daniel by Federico Erebia and Julie Kwon Levine Querido (Gay YA Contemporary)

Gay Club! by Simon James Green (Queer YA Contemporary)

love letters for joy book cover

Things I’ll Never Say by Cassandra Newbould (Bisexual YA Contemporary)

Love Letters for Joy by Melissa See (Asexual YA Contemporary)

Darkhearts by James L. Sutter (Queer YA Contemporary)

Northranger by Rey Terciero and illustrated by Bre Indigo (Queer YA Contemporary) — I read and really enjoyed this one! You can hear me talk about it on the June 6th episode of All the Books!

Saint Juniper’s Folly by Alex Crespo (Queer YA Haunted House Mystery)

the cover of A Spark in the Cinders

A Spark in the Cinders by Jenny Elder Moke (F/F YA Fantasy)

Will on the Inside by Andrew Eliopulos (Questioning Middle Grade Contemporary)

Gender Identity for Kids: A Book About Finding Yourself, Understanding Others, and Respecting Everybody! by Andy Passchier (Gender Identity Children’s Nonfiction)

For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Last newsletter, I said I couldn’t find any fiction books with main characters who are autistic and trans. One of you lovely OQS readers emailed me to let me know about two, and then I tried some different search techniques and found a few more! I’m very glad to be wrong!

These happen to be across the age spectrum, including a picture book, a middle grade novel, YA, and an adult SFF title! This isn’t a complete list, though. The Unbalancing by R. B. Lemberg has an autistic and nonbinary main character, and I also discovered the completed Kickstarter for Changelings: An Autistic Trans Anthology, so hopefully we’ll see that soon!

the cover of My Rainbow

My Rainbow by Trinity and DeShanna Neal, illustrated by Art Twink

This is a picture book written by a trans kid and her mom! Trinity is an autistic trans girl who wants long hair, but hates the itchiness of growing it out. So she and her mom go in search for the perfect wig.

the cover of Dear Mothman

Dear Mothman by Robin Gow

This is a middle grade novel in verse about an autistic trans boy dealing with grief over the death of his best friend, the only other trans boy in school. To process his feelings, he writes to Mothman. When no one in his life believes Mothman is real, though, he goes looking for him in the woods.

the cover of The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester

The Many Half-Lived Lives Of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor

After their own near-death experience, Sam begins collecting stories of half-lived lives: people who died before they turned 19. When they begin digging into one of these cases connected to their new home, they start receiving threats — and now Sam knows they’re on to something. (Sam is autistic and nonbinary.)

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

The HSS Matilda is a generation spaceship, but it looks a lot like the past on Earth: it’s organized like the antebellum South and just as oppressive. Aster is queer, Black, nonbinary, and autistic, which makes it difficult to survive in this space. So maybe the answer is to tear everything down.

All the Links Fit to Click

GLAAD: Book Bans Cannot Stand: Organizing to Defeat Book Bans in Your Community

Autostraddle: 81 Queer and Feminist Books Coming Your Way Summer 2023

Vulture: Elliot Page Talks Juno, Relationships, in Pageboy Memoir

Elliot Page exposes Hollywood’s homophobia in Pageboy

Giovanni’s Room is celebrating 50 years of being a safe haven

Over at the Lesbrary, I’ve been posting an article every day in June, including:

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

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Queer Autistic Teens Take On the World

Happy Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page release day! Fittingly for the first week of Pride month, there are lots of exciting new releases out today. Also, as usual, June means a whole lot more links!

Speaking of Pride, today, I wanted to highlight the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, which fights for the rights of Black trans people. You can find out more on their website, and you can help at their donation page.

Looking for fascinating stories, informed takes, useful advice, and more drawn from our collective experience as power readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and bookish professionals? Subscribe to The Deep Dive, a biweekly newsletter to inform and inspire readers, delivered to your inbox! Your first read (The Power Reader’s Guide to Reading Logs & Trackers) is on the house. Check out all the details and choose your membership level at bookriot.substack.com

Bookish Goods

a picture of a cartoon figure reclining with the text Autistic, Queer and Here all Year  on a wooden pin

Autistic, Queer and Here all Year Wooden Pin by NeuroDivers

Today’s theme is books about queer autistic teens, so this pin was the perfect fit! $12

New Releases

the cover of And Then He Sang a Lullaby

And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode (Queer Fiction)

This is the first book to come out of the new Roxane Gay imprint, which is reason enough for me to want to pick it up! This is about a Nigerian man in his 20s, August, who falls for Segun, an openly gay university student. Their relationship is complicated already, with August still in the closet, but when new anti-gay legislation passes in Nigeria, they have to survive in a violently homophobic environment.

cover of boys weekend by mattie lubchansky

Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky (Transfemme Horror Graphic Novel)

Sammie has been out as trans for a year when they get an invitation from an old friend to be his “best man” and join the bachelor party at El Campo, a hedonistic island retreat. Against their better judgment, they accept — and endure misgendering from the other guests. Sammie also seems to be the only who notices the bloodthirsty cult sacrificing people at their hotel…

the cover of Moby Dyke

Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest To Hunt Down The Last Remaining Lesbian Bars In America by Krista Burton (Lesbian Nonfiction)

There are only about 20 lesbian bars across the U.S., down from 200 in the ’80s. So Krista Burton makes it her mission to visit and write about every one of them. I loved this! Krista Burton’s writing style feels like a friend recounting her adventures, and the discussion of maintaining queer (and specifically lesbian) spaces was fascinating. You can hear my full thoughts on today’s All the Books episode.

The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring (Queer Fiction)

Countries of Origin by Javier Fuentes (M/M Fiction)

the cover of Happy Stories, Mostly

Brother Alive by Zain Khalid, narrated by Fajer Al-Kaisi (Queer Fiction) (Audiobook Rerelease)

BeatNikki’s Café by Renee James (Trans Woman Fiction)

Happy Stories, Mostly by Norman Erikson Pasaribu, translated by Tiffany Tsao (Queer Short Stories)

All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim (M/M Romance)

Dreaming Home by Lucian Childs (Queer Fiction)

Open Throat by Henry Hoke (Queer Fiction)

the cover of Mortal Follies

Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style by Paul Rudnick (Queer Fiction)

The Last Drop of Hemlock by Katharine Schellman (Sapphic Historical Mystery)

Killingly by Katharine Beutner (Queer Historical Suspense Novel)

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian (Gay Historical Romance)

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall (F/F Historical Fantasy Romance)

Shadows of the Lost by Maxym M. Martineau (M/M Fantasy Romance)

the cover of Pageboy

Indigiqueerness: A Conversation about Storytelling by Joshua Whitehead and Angie Abdou (Indigiqueer Essays)

TransElectric: My Life as a Cosmic Rock Star by Cidny Bullens (Trans Memoir)

Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page (Trans Memoir)

Transpoethicalbody: A Book of Black Trans* Erotic Poetry by Tiely Santos (Trans Poetry)

Freedom House by KB Brookins (Queer and Trans Poetry)

Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong (Queer Poetry) (Paperback Rerelease)

the cover of And Don't F&%k It Up

And Don’t F&%k It Up: An Oral History of RuPaul’s Drag Race (The First Ten Years) by Maria Elena Fernandez (Drag Nonfiction)

Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins–Mollymauk Tealeaf by Jody Houser, Taliesin Jaffe, Matthew Mercer, Hunter Severn Bonyun, Cathy Le, and Ariana Maher (Queer Fantasy Graphic Novel)

Turning Japanese: Expanded Edition by MariNaomi (Bisexual Graphic Memoir)

The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This, Vol. 3 by Takashi Ikeda (F/F Manga)

Futari Escape, Vol. 3 by Shouichi Taguchi (F/F Manga)

I’m Kinda Chubby and I’m Your Hero, Vol. 2 by Nore (M/M Manga)

For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

I’ve noticed a few different queer middle grade and YA books out this year with autistic main characters! This is an intersection that’s sorely underrepresented in books, especially as ableism and homophobia/transphobia combine in toxic ways, making it difficult to access gender-affirming care for trans autistic people and isolating and closeting queer autistic people.

This isn’t a complete list! Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl by Sara Waxelbaum and Brianna R. Shrum is another 2023 YA release with a queer autistic main character, for one.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any fiction (regardless of age category or release date) with an autistic and trans main character, though there are some nonfiction books on the subject. If you know of any, please pass them along to me, and I’d love to feature them next time!

the cover of Izzy at the End of the World

Izzy at the End of the World by K.A. Reynolds

Izzy is a bisexual autistic 14 year old whose mom just died, and it feels like the end of the world. Then, everyone else disappears over night, and it might literally be the end of the world — just Izzy and her dog against the grey monsters taking over. She’s also getting cryptic messages that seem to be from her mother, somehow.

cover of The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

Ari is autistic and has selective mutism. Her silence means people project a lot onto her — including, in Luis Ortega’s case, consent. When she’s pressured into sex at a party, she isn’t sure how to feel. That’s when the Luis Ortega Survival Club reaches out, who are determined to stop him from hurting anyone else. But Ari wasn’t expecting to fall for one of the girls in the club.

All the Links Fit to Click

As Predicted, Anti-Drag Laws Are Being Weaponized to Silence Trans People

Recent LGBTQ Parenting Books: Which Ones Are Right for You?

9 LGBTQ+ Manga You Should Read

20 Sapphic Books to Read for Pride Month (and all year round)

Goodreads: New and Upcoming Books to Discover This Pride Month

Goodreads: New and Upcoming 2023 LGBTQ+ Romance Reads for Pride Month (and Beyond!)

Ten LGBTQ+ Authors on the Books That Taught Them

What Banned Books Can Teach Us: Building an LGBTQ Picture Book Library for Pride

90 Years On: The Destruction of the Institute of Sexual Science

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Helped Me Stop Being Ashamed Of Being Bisexual

Author Adiba Jaigirdar on embracing queer Muslim stories: “I’m writing books I wish I had”

Taylor Jenkins Reid interviewed Hayley Kiyoko on Turning Girls Like Girls into a Swoony YA Novel

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

Categories
Our Queerest Shelves

Pride is a Protest

Pride month feels a little different this year. Some of the ways it’s been recognized for many years (like rainbow merch in Target) are suddenly controversial. Queer books are being banned at unprecedented rates in schools and libraries. Anti-trans legislation is at an all-time high, making some states so dangerous that experts recommend not even traveling there. So today’s newsletter is about queer activism. Because the first Pride was a riot, and Pride is always political. Pride is a protest.

Another crucial component of queer activism is mutual aid, which is why I want to highlight the Black Family Mutual Aid page today. Their page includes many queer and trans Black people raising money for survival, including Morgan M, a Black trans person trying to escape a state hostile to trans people.

Looking for fascinating stories, informed takes, useful advice, and more drawn from our collective experience as power readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and bookish professionals? Want to read my take on the injustice of scratch and sniff books? Subscribe to The Deep Dive, a biweekly newsletter to inform and inspire readers, delivered to your inbox! Your first read (The Power Reader’s Guide to Reading Logs & Trackers) is on the house. Check out all the details and choose your membership level at bookriot.substack.com

Bookish Goods

a black t-shirt with linked lesbian and gay men symbols linked below a fist and the text Respect Existence or Expect Resistance, Rights or Riots

Respect Existence or Expect Resistance Shirt by SurPride

This design is a good reminder about what Pride is all about. $30+

New Releases

Today, I have a couple of celesbian titles to showcase, plus a lot more YA and kidlit LGBTQ new releases — including a sapphic addition to the canon of horse girl lit (Sweet & Bitter Rivals) and a cute picture book about a girl with a crush on another girl (The Wishing Flower)!

Unfortunately, this week’s batch of new queer YA and kids’ book releases are disproportionately by white authors. Publishers, do better.

the cover of Girls Like Girls

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko (F/F YA Contemporary)

Seven years ago, Hayley Kiyoko dropped the Girls Like Girls music video, which was a real defining moment for sapphics. I remember watching it and wishing I could watch the full movie or read a novel-length version of it — and now we can! Hayley Kiyoko has used the music video as inspiration for her first novel.

the cover of Tegan and Sara: Junior High

Junior High by Tegan Quin, Sara Quin, and Tillie Walden (Lesbian Middle Grade Graphic Novel)

First there was Tegan and Sara’s memoir High School. Then it was adapted into a TV show. And now, we have a kind of prequel to the story in Junior High, a graphic novel illustrated by Tillie Walden! Walden is the author/illustrator of On a Sunbeam, along with other beloved graphic novels. This book is part memoir, part fictional version of Tegan and Sara’s junior high years, including their journey through music and to finding themselves.

Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, and Carlyn Greenwald (Gay YA Contemporary)

No Perfect Places by Steven Salvatore (Nonbinary YA Contemporary)

the cover of Skating on Mars

The Girl Next Door by Cecilia Vinesse (Bisexual YA Contemporary)

The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro (Gay YA Paranormal Romance)

Sweet & Bitter Rivals (Saddlehill Academy #1) by Jessica Burkhart (Sapphic Middle Grade Contemporary)

The Song of Us by Kate Fussner (Queer Middle Grade Contemporary)

Skating on Mars by Caroline Huntoon (Nonbinary Middle Grade Contemporary)

The Wishing Flower by A.J. Irving and Kip Alizadeh (Sapphic Picture Book)

For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

In some ways, the fight for queer rights feels more crucial now than it has for decades. Hard-won victories are being rolled back. Queer people in general and trans women especially are facing an onslaught of hate, violence, and deadly legislation that has just increased in the past year.

But of course, this isn’t unprecedented. The story is of queer history is a story of protests, riots, and a never-ending fight for our rights. To move forward, we should look to the past. What can we learn from the political organizing of earlier activists? Here are a couple places to start.

Let the Record Show

Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman

ACT UP was an activist group that made a huge impact on AIDS activism in the ’80s. In the New York Times review of this book, they say, “This is not reverent, definitive history. This is a tactician’s bible.” It draws on hundreds of interviews from ACT UP members, and it has plenty of lessons for activists today on both tactics and the pitfalls that can cause organizations like this to fracture.

the cover of Out North

Out North: An Archive Of Queer Activism And Kinship In Canada by Craig Jennex and Nisha Eswaran

Surprise! I’m Canadian. And like most of the rest of the world, it’s easy for me to know more about U.S. history and politics than my own country’s. The ArQuives is the largest independent LGBTQ2+ archive in the world, and in this coffee table book, they’ve collected fascinating artifacts that illustrate the history of queer people in Canada.

All the Links Fit to Click

Discover Hidden Gems: 10 Lesser-Known Sapphic Romance Books to Read Right Now

Queer History Detective: On the Power of Uncovering Stories from the Past

Bestselling author Juno Dawson on her trans journey, misogyny and book bans

Psst, hey, for those of you still reading: I’m doing a Pride month thing at the Lesbrary! There will be a post going up every day, with sapphic book lists and essays. I hope to see you there!

Happy reading,
Danika