A well-written and thought-provoking novel rich with cultural detail. The central conflict is immensely believable and compelling: do you give up your family and that connection to your culture, or do you give up your personal truth? Personally, this book was hard for me to read. I have seen enough gay suffering, and this book doesn't let up on it. Full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3201760057 #ownvoices #queerbooks #hoopla

“All this while our mouths fed on each other, their sameness so shocking as to be inevitable.“

I wouldn't call this a lesbian romance novel so much as a literary sexual experimentation narrative, perhaps geared more toward straight women than queer women. Full (but short) review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3194391730

Off to a great start. #nonfiction #queerbooks #library

This would be a perfect book for the 12-15 year old in your life who's obsessed with death (if you're okay with them knowing the gritty details). As an adult who read and loved Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, I was disappointed. This has much of the same information, but in shorter chunks capped with (very cool) illustrations. So not for me, but possibly a good book for others. #nonfiction #library

This book reminded me why I love romance novels. I consumed the audiobook in two sittings. It has everything, not just romance-- mystery, danger, cozy settings, and the supernatural; plus a well-executed plot that is somehow not formulaic. This is why Natalie Vivien and her wife Bridget Essex are my favorite lesbian romance authors. Their stories are suffused with warmth and depth beyond what many authors are willing to explore.

The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus is a unique book by a debut author. We follow the ghost of recently deceased Chelsea, older 1970s ghost Carmen, and their human mime friend Cyndricka as they walk cross-country to get to Chelsea's brother's wedding.. First off, I love a ghost story, love a road trip novel, love a queer new adult novel. This is all three.

Full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3055418917

Sara clearly wrote this memoir for those who need to be told to be.. wait for it.... brave. We learn how a flawed human with anxiety, self-loathing, and a chronic inability to cowrite, has been able to accomplish so much in her young music career. Spoiler alert: she just did stuff, even if she was scared, even if she didn't think she could do it, even if she didn't do it very well the first time. #memoir #audiobook

I know this isn't a lofty goal, but I haven't read this many books in a year since 2015. Looking to change that. 📖

Sara references this quote in chapter 7 (chapter 9 of the audiobook) and it seems to encapsulate the theme of the book so far. #audiobook #memoir #music

Well-executed lesbian romance. Great if you like
- butch-femme dynamics
- opposites attract
- warm fuzzy feelings of found family and belonging

I recommend the audiobook particularly because the subtle shifts in accents bring depth to the characters whom, if I'm honest, could've been a bit more complex.

#queerbooks #lesbian #lesfic #lesbianromance #wlw

...Well? #nonfiction #catsoflitsy #library

The suspense!! This first chapter hooked me.

Elizabeth Marshall Thomas is fascinating. I didn't know when I requested an ARC that she is a bestselling author and anthropologist. If you're expecting a conservative book from a doddering old woman, this is not it. Our G Liz has escaped a lion attack. She tried to light a cigarette on her 80th birthday cake but her children wouldn't let her. She lost her husband only a few years ago. She has faced death and come out the other side. ⬇️

Tag yourself-- I'm a Scout Sun / Ari Moon / Taylor Rising.

This graphic novel truly is a spiritual successor to D*kes to Watch Out For. It contains genderfeels galore, neurotic rants for days, and queer comradery for a new generation.

Full review here: https://goodreads.com/review/show/3053225904

#queerbooks #nonbinarybooks #Netgalley #GreaseBats

The subtitle says "365 days of the year," and it means it! This is one bird watcher's journal from January first to December 31st. Nothing more, nothing less. As an Instagram, I would follow it. As a book, I found it impossible to read. It's for the experienced birder, not the casual bird lover. (Pictured: a male Eastern Towhee, one of the many gorgeous photographs in this book.) #NFNov #dnf #Netgalley #HowBirdsBehave

This is the most I have ever seen myself in a character??#nonbinarybooks #queerbooks #graphicnovels #GreaseBats #Netgalley

This is a quick read with some very applicable lessons on how to be a “Solver,“ someone who cuts to the work of solving conflicts rather than reacting emotionally in a way that makes the situation worse. However, more than half the book is spent outlining different “types“ of toxic people rather than offering concrete methods on how to cope with them.

Full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3055417733

#NFNov #nonfiction #ToxicParentsSurvivalGuide #Netgalley

Ideal bathroom reading. (Yes, my bathroom is extremely girly. Yes, my wife is the one who decorated it. Yes, I love it.) #queerbooks #lesbianromance #lesbian #lesfic #wlw #queerhistorical

This book has so many wisdom nuggets. I'll probably post one or two more before I review. #NFNov #nonfiction #ToxicParentsSurvivalGuide #Netgalley

This is a story about living under colonization, about the slow self-annihilation necessary to live to fight another day. Full review here: https://tinyurl.com/vw9jeve

#queerbooks #nonbinarybooks #queerfantasy

This was a fun read full of adventure, cartoonish violence, friendship, romance, and gender exploration. Both Lucy and Lord Byron crossdress at various points for ~subterfuge purposes~, and Sham appears to be nonbinary. It did bum me out that all the characters call Sham “she“ or “he.“ It's not like Sham ever requests certain pronouns, and I know people weren't using “they“ or “ze“ in the 1800s, but they also weren't hunting vampires, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I can't say I loved every minute of this 1964 novel. It's meandering and plotless and the romance leaves me cold. But this part still rings true to me. Most queer people grow up being told that our desires are unnatural. We must eventually accept that they are are natural for us. For Evelyn, marrying a man was unnatural. This is a theme I can still relate to in 2k19.

#lesfic #lesbianromance #lesbian #queerbooks

This was cute! My wife and I are planning on fostering to adopt in the next few years, and I sometimes wonder if it will be difficult for our kids to explain their family situation. I would consider buying a physical copy of this, although depending on how old the kid is, it might go over their head. I love the cover of this book and the fact that this family might look like ours. #Netgalley #ARC #childrens #queerbooks

Check out this magical tree I saw while hiking today and listening to Ann Mcman's Jericho. This book is taking me forever. The slo-o-o-west of slow burns 🔥 #lesfic #lesbianromance

Cozy #lesbianfantasy. Benevolence is like if the town of Stars Hollow was full of magic, ghosts, and goddesses. I wish so much that the author would continue with series, but it looks like she's moved on to more marketable supernatural romance.

Longer review here: https://tinyurl.com/ydw944qt

#queerbooks #lesfic #worldbuilding

I got this book in the hopes that it would force me to deal with the reality of death. Well, mission accomplished. I haven't thought this much about my own mortality since the time I took a human osteology class in college and spent several sleepless nights thinking about how I had a skeleton inside my body.

Full review on my (mostly defunct) Goodreads: https://tinyurl.com/ydotkw9m

(Pictured: “Dance of Death“) #nonfiction #nfnovember

This #novella is the best, most scientifically realistic portrayal of “mermaids“ I've ever seen, to the point that I found myself thinking multiple times while reading it, “I can't believe mermaids are real and want to kill us.“ I also loved the diversity of the cast; the short but imposing female captain, her deaf first mate, and the tetchy gay scientist couple. Top notch stuff. #mermaids #thrillers #horror

Standouts from this collection:

“One True Love“ by Malinda Lo. A simple, satisfying medieval heroic romance.

“The Witch Sea“ by Sarah Diemer. You can also purchase this story on its own (cover pictured). Fantastical. Beautifully written. Made me a forever-fan of the Diemers.

“Chang'e Dashes from the Moon“ by Benjanun Sriduangkaew. Queer retelling of a Chinese myth. Really stuck with me.

#queerbooks #queerfantasy #lesbian #wlw #lesfic

This book deconstructs the gender-based violence of Greek #mythology AND makes Hades and Persephone retroactively lesbians. What more do you want? #lesfic #lesbian #lesbianfantasy #wlw #queerbooks #queersfantasy

(Pictured: “Athena and Persephone“ by Arthur Rackham.)

This is a good, thick #fantasy book with an amazing world and a story that pays off. #TriggerWarning for both sexual abuse and misandrist violence. #IfYouLiked The Handmaid's Tale or the worldbuilding of Ursula K. Leguin, I highly recommend it. #ifyoulikedthisreadthis

(Pictured: Holly Lisle's own #worldbuilding notes @ https://hollylisle.com/tonk-stuff/.)

Has glossy pages throughout just to emphasize the homophobic passages and to defend, of all things, arranged marriage?

10/10 would give me feelings of self-loathing and drive me away from Christianity again

My favorite character was Eustacia because she spent most of the novel doing nothing except fantasize vividly, and as a teenager I was like “same“

Whomst among us has not felt like a loathesome beetle??