During an excursion for revenge on the knights that burned his goddess, her followers, and his home, Raef discovers a man trapped inside of a frozen box who upends the dismal reality Raef has lived in for more than a decade. Absolutely a new favorite. Outstanding world building and character development. Vivid character emotions, and fun relationship development. #LGBTQIA

My #roll100 picks for March are all set! I didn‘t get around to any of my February picks, but I read two of my January picks, which I think counts 😆 as always, thanks @PuddleJumper for helping me work my way through my Libby and Hoopla to-read lists.

This manga is off to a good start when a boy finds himself tricked into delivering food to the village's creepy protector and discovers purpose in supporting him. I'm really enjoying the character development, relationship building, and the slow introduction we are getting to their world. Looking forward to picking up volume 2. #Manga #LGBTQIA

I went in with low expectations for this beautiful guys piece, but it's pretty charming and the art's lovely. The tone reminded me of Native American animal stories where animal characters are often anthropomorphic. It was a bit weird that there were no female characters, which is common to this genre. I enjoyed seeing some of the chatacters' pasts already and hope the next volume dives into more world and character building. #manga #LGBTQIA

I wanted another slice of life like Our Not So Lonely Planet or Confessions of a Shy Baker with tons of food illustrations (because I love them 😍) and a hint of romance, and that‘s exactly what I got! We also get a look at the characters‘ insecurities and their hopes and fears for the future, which adds a nice dimension as well. Bonus points for including recipes in each chapter! #Manga #SliceOfLife #Food

I have my next round of #Roll100 ready to go! So far in January I‘m part way through one of my rolls (The Book of Pride), and might finish a second one! (The full moon coffee shop) @PuddleJumper

I applied to be a volunteer selector for a local book award! 🤩 Hopefully I'll be able to read these all before the deadline in a few months. My reading pace is not fast.

While I'm enjoying the daily tree for the #NaturaLitsy buddy read, I'm bailing on our #MidwinterSolace read after just 13 minutes listening. The author shared two classic pieces of bad advice as "good advice" including changing how you feel about your bad situation and looking at someone else's bad situation so you know yours isn't so bad. This is harmful in many contexts and encourage people to dismiss their lived experiences. @AllDebooks

I keep a book journal every year. Here are some of the spreads from my 2024 journal! I'm putting the finishing touches on it before I shelve it. (Part 8/8)
#BookJournal #Data #Journaling #BulletJournal

I keep a book journal every year. Here are some of the spreads from my 2024 journal! I'm putting the finishing touches on it before I shelve it. (Part 7/8)
#BookJournal #Data #Journaling #BulletJournal

I keep a book journal every year. Here are some of the spreads from my 2024 journal! I'm putting the finishing touches on it before I shelve it. (Part 6/8)
#BookJournal #Data #Journaling #BulletJournal

I keep a book journal every year. Here are some of the spreads from my 2024 journal! I'm putting the finishing touches on it before I shelve it. (Part 5/8)
#BookJournal #Data #Journaling #BulletJournal

I keep a book journal every year. Here are some of the spreads from my 2024 journal! I'm putting the finishing touches on it before I shelve it. (Part 4/8)
#BookJournal #Data #Journaling #BulletJournal

I keep a book journal every year. Here are some of the spreads from my 2024 journal! I'm putting the finishing touches on it before I shelve it. (Part 3/8)
#BookJournal #Data #Journaling #BulletJournal

I keep a book journal every year. Here are some of the spreads from my 2024 journal! I'm putting the finishing touches on it before I shelve it. (Part 2/8)
#BookJournal #Data #Journaling #BulletJournal

I keep a book journal every year. Here are some of the spreads from my 2024 journal! I'm putting the finishing touches on it before I shelve it. (Part 1/8)
#BookJournal #Data #Journaling #BulletJournal

I didn't realize this was a memoir comic when I picked it up, but it started to dawn on me as themes took shape. This is a lovely look into the author's life, the middle school experience, maintaining friendships, and growing up with devorsed and complicated parents. I enjoyed the way Tori's writing is represented, and the references to Harvest Moon charmed me endlessly. #Comics #Nonfiction #MemoirComic

Haru, a little blueberry-shaped bird, helps their best friend, a piglet named Yama, on an unexpected quest to do away with an immensely evil object. The pacing is a little off, but I absolutely love this first book. The characters are fun, the dialogue is charming, and the post-apocalypse setting is interesting. I enjoy that the characters don't fully understand their quest. The lighthearted but dark tone reminds me of Rice Boy.

This month's #WithTheBanned read is not gentle. It takes on internalized and external racism, generational trauma, and the harm of lack of diverse representation in media. It's a stunning read, but review the content warnings. The end includes an excellent afterward by the author that delves into her choice to explore these themes through the lense of such a traumatic, unaverage case. I was disappointed in what she equates homosexuality to.

I thought I‘d love this but it‘s definitely not the right book for me. 17% in and I feel irritated and confused. The scene with Yates and the deer in the pool was so unclear I couldn‘t tell if Yates was laying down asleep or sitting up and awake. The character relationships are all wonky, and things keep coming out of nowhere or continuing to be very unclear. I also kind of hate the characters, who are all a bit flat.

My last read of 2024! This office romance and healing journey is a fun read, and I enjoyed the characters. The story shows anxiety and deals with childhood trauma and ptsd as well, and the publisher setting was fun. I felt like the pacing was a bit off throughout the book, and found some dramatic scenes a little unrealistic such as what hospital staff would allow. Do check the content warnings. #LGBTQIA #MentalHealth #OfficeRomance

A charming middle grade graphic novel with diverse characters, fierce women in stem, and a thrilling supporting setting filled with science tiptoeing around in the realm of sci-fi. I felt like this was a little rushed or like some of the plot points were a little over dramatic for the characters, but sometimes that‘s just how middle grade graphic novels are. This book ends with a delightful list of women in STEM. #Comics #WomenInSTEM #STEM

A pretty satisfying cozy fantasy! I enjoyed the characters and their journey to putting together their new bar venture. I did want a bit more flavor as far as Rhoren‘s transition from living in the mountains all his life to living down by the sea goes. #LGBTQIA #CozyFantasy

I absolutely adored this magical book following two indentured young men as they try to find clever ways to circumnavigate their magically fueled contracts of indenture. Between the shady Untermarkt where supernatural beings buy and sell things like luck, dreams, and destiny, the delightful characters, the bells, LGBTQIA+ rep, the twisty plot, and vivid descriptions, I don‘t know what I loved most! This might be my top 2024 book. #Magic #LGBTQIA

The 2025 LGBTQIA+ Book Bingo card is here! Anyone is invited to join this inclusive, casual, year-long #BookBingo and take it at your own pace. Read books by LGBTQIA+ authors or featuring LGBTQIA+ characters. There‘ll be a bonus card in June.

You can also track progress on The Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/2a75ed55-253f-4e22-b540-bd10b2b...

Don‘t forget to tag me in your reviews and #LGBTQIA2025!

Liv experiences high school while being separated long-term from her twin brother for the first time. Despite her struggles, she finds a delightful friend group and finds herself in an unexpected love triangle. This was pretty darn adorable! I loved that Liv didn‘t have everything about her identity figured out by the end, leaving room for future growth beyond the story‘s end. #LGBTQIA #Comics

I really enjoy the way Magic is portrayed in this world. In this volume, not only do we get to see more about the mysterious organization following Coco‘s every move, but we see the way colored inks enhance magic. I enjoyed meeting a character figuring out how his vision differences can fit with the work he does. #Magic #Manga

I‘ll read at least one of my #Roll100 picks in January! Looking forward to another year of using random dice rolls to narrow down my abused Hoopla and Libby TBR lists. Thanks @PuddleJumper

Wishing everyone absolutely beautiful holidays this year ❤️

It was a difficult choice tonight between our usual Christmas dinner or our usual first night of Chanukah dinner!

#Winter #Yule #Chanukah #Christmas #Holidays

I‘m hoping to finish the bottom right corner for two final bingos of this year‘s #LGBTQIABookBingo but I‘m not sure if I‘ll make it!

Thank you everyone who participated in this year‘s board and June bonus board! If you want to be added to the tags for this casual year-long book bingo, let me know!

As I prepare the 2025 board, do you have any prompts you‘d love to see, or prompts you didn‘t enjoy?

Not surprisingly, this is continues to be a beautiful and charming manga. This volume continues to lay the groundwork to draw readers into the intriguing shadowy magic organization and make us root for Coco and friends as they learn the secret ways of magic. As is common for me, I absolutely loved the cooking scene. #Manga #Magic

A group of friends hatch a plan to buy fashionable coats and take on selling bootleg anime dvds at school. This is a weird one but definitely worth a read. I loved the somewhat random notes we get throughout that add flavor to the characters or to the world around them. The focus on religion didn‘t resonate with me but I‘m sure it will with some readers. #Comics #LGBTQIA

This 90s/2000s-inspired anime spread is an absolute delight. I‘m pretty sure I know most of these 😆 #Nostalgia #Anime

Will accidentally steps back into the sights of a shadowy crime organization and finds himself thrown back into the orbit of his former lover. A pretty solid second book in this historic fiction mystery series. It was a bit weird how quickly Will felt abandoned by Kim, and I was disappointed that the end chaos was not orchestrated at all by the women, who played no real role in the end despite being strong women who could have. #LGBTQIA

I‘m loving this book so far, but I don‘t think I‘ve ever seen an inconsistency error like this one where a character has 3 different outfits in the same scene 🤭

I loved everything about this delightful queer story, from the art and characters to the story itself. Extremely cute. And yes, I also loved Gina. I found myself hoping this would go in the predictable directions, which it did, so although it was predictable it was not disappointing. This was another random library pick because I liked the lettering on the spine and I‘m so glad I picked it up. I even got my husband to read it. #LGBTQIA

Bina and Darcy explore the roles that friendship and loyalty play in their newly formed band. I enjoyed watching Bina explore her creative process as she starts to have trouble writing songs. Even without having read the first volume (because this was a random library pick for me), I enjoyed this middle grade book. #Friendship #Music

Me, dyslexic: *shares a post for the library I manage social media for about activating fonts on Libby such as OpenDyslexic which I enjoy using*

The community: how dare you

🙃

A low pick I read because @julesG described it as having a ghost koo, who failed to mention the delightful mischievous grannies and fluff. This whole book is predictable but quite charming in the usual way of romance books. My demisexual brain doesn't quite understand where the characters are coming frombin books like this, but I was rooting for them the whole time anyway. #scotland #MagicalRealism #Holidays #BookishCharacter

My husband fell in love with this series, so I picked it up to read too. The manga has interesting world building and a playful art style. I am a little torn on how to rate this since I feel like Legoshi's relationship with Haru is beyond problematic. Also, what even is this cover? is he biting his giant hand or trying to wipe behind his teeth? #manga

Chaz shares the story of his transition with a lot of reflection, including his struggles with chronic pain and pain medication addiction. I felt like it would have been a more engaging read if I was familiar with his other work or his famous parents. The writing is a bit dry, but conveys his experiences well. #LGBTQIA #Memoir #Nonfiction

I recently picked up several random graphic novels at the library, including this one. Caroline can't stop thinking about the popular girl she has started tutoring at school and finds that they have more in common than she could imagine. I really enjoyed this. The character building is great and the art is beautiful. Their texting style reminded me of when my husband and I first started. #LGBTQIA #comics #AAPI

I finally read this book (and in time for Halloween! I'm just a little behind in reviews). I grew up loving the movie and have been planning to read the book for a while. It was great fun reading lines that are word-for-word in the movie. The movie has slightly better storytelling. Bradbury does an amazing job as the movie's narrator. #Halloween #BookToScreen

A pretty cute midlegrade graphic novel featuring women in veterinary fields, characters learning a new career, and a wealth of imaginative creatures. The story flow feels a little too simple, but I know this will be a perfect read for many kids. Also, loved the beavers. #animals #magic #middlegrade #comics

Faith Erin Hicks does such a lovely job of epic yet gentle storytelling wrapped in beautiful art, especially in this trilogy. I enjoyed meeting new characters and seeing established characters continue to grow as they strategize how to rescue their city from its new ruler. #Comics

I definitely picked this Pride & Prejudice retelling with a trans protagonist up because of a review by @peanutnine . I wasn't sure if I'd like it because I hated Pride & Prejudice, but I loved it. The characters are delightful, and I found the major events of the story satisfying and entertaining. Did I cry during the office scene? A little. #LGBTQIA #Retelling

An adorable novella by an author local to my area. Demi finds themselves in an unusual predicament when a sneeze demon possesses their cat. I definitely enjoyed this read. #ColoradoAuthor #LGBTQIA #Cat

This wasn't quite the right book for me. For anyone who, like me, enjoys supernatural crime drama like Supernatural or Grim, it's definitely an entertaining read. This is the debut book (I think) of an author local to my area, and it feels like it needed more workshopping. The main character is a type character and I hated the romantic interest character. That being said, all those sticky tabs mark sentences, concepts, or descriptions I liked.

I cheated and looked at some reviews for this book the other day, and I see a lot of them hating on Gene. I understand, she's definitely a pain and she has a ton of growth to do, but I absolutely adore her. She's not a bad person. She's very driven and single-minded and not a stellar girlfriend, but overall she's a pretty good character. She's funny, adorable, and has a ton of compelling areas to learn from. I'd read a book about her.

Sometimes you find perfect books for yourself. When you read chaotically like me and don't read the backs of books before you read, they're even more random and satisfying to find. I picked this one up feeling like it might be a so-so read for me and so far it's extremely perfect. I absolutely adore the characters, and the silly situations they get into. The literary references, nerdy manga love, and charming hate banter are also delightful.