A complex cast of characters find themselves ripped from their lives when their latent magical powers emerge. In their new magical home that may be slowly dying, everyone has their own reasons for wanting to leave or stay. If you enjoy not-quite-rooting for gray characters in tenuous situations, this is a good one for you. I wish the mom got to be more than just a mom. #LGBTQIA #Witches

The story and character relationships continue to develop as Alto and Elva band together with new and old allies to solve the newly discovered supernatural and political problems of the island. Some hilarious and adorable moments tucked into all of the seriousness. #LGBTQIA #Fantasy #Manga

I spotted this on a library book display and thought it sounded intriguing. It was a lot of fun! I didn‘t expect it to have so many LGBTQIA stories, which is always a delightful surprise. A few of these were so-so, as is the case for most short story collections. I loved the one with the ghosts. #ShortStory #DiverseStories #LGBTQIA

While trying to avoid attention, Tao stumbles into an adventuring party‘s quest and builds a found family along the way. This is charming and funny, with sweet characters. A low pick because it just reads like someone‘s D&D campaign with slightly flat characters and underdeveloped side characters and elements of the story. #Fantasy #FortuneTelling #Cozy

Leo and Grim begrudgingly go on a quest together to remove a curse that binds them together. This was such an incredibly fun read! Adventure around every turn of the page. I wound up reading through the climax twice before finishing the book to take it all in again. #LGBTQIA #MusicMagic #Fantasy

This volume of jaye simpson‘s poems is turbulent, capturing the hard and soft edges of being trans, woman, and indigenous. The collection is intriguing, varied in form, and interesting to read. I‘m glad I picked it up. #Poetry #LGBTQIA

I greatly enjoyed this return to the holiday worlds, this time following Kris as he tries to solve the problem of magic theft. This enemies-to-lovers romance is just as hilarious, charming, and sexy as the first book, and is definitely joining Nightmare Before Kissmas as a top favorite for the year. #LGBTQIA #Holiday #Romance

A young lesbian is cast out of her home when she is outed at college. Throughout this book we see this charismatic woman figure out how to make it on her own as she navigates financial and interpersonal challenges. I wouldn't say I enjoy classic literature, but ever now and then I do strive to read it. #LGBTQIA #ClassicLit

A group of ace and aro teens (plus one tween) internet friends meet up, and to support one of their own, carry out a heist. I have questions about some elements, and never got fully invested in the main character's plight. I also wish the mom had been more developed and less of a concept driving the plot. #LGBTQIA #Heist #YoungAdult

A collection of humorous comic strips following two (and then more) friends in their messy lives and queer experiences. The characters are heartfelt, and I enjoyed seeing their relationships grow. This style of comic never really resonates with me, so I can't speak to whether it will resonate with readers. #LGBTQIA #Humor #Comics

Such a good read! The characters are delightful, the trio's friendship spawns plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and the world is very fun. Maybe it's just that I love stories with holiday worlds and magic, especially magic born from joy. This will definitely be a top read of the year for me. #LGBTQIA #Holidays

This book takes a hard look at grief after the loss of a child, racism, and Native American experiences. From the title, I thought it would be a bit more about Alice but it's mostly about the men in her life. #NativeAmerican #Motherhood

Tony does an amazing job of balancing humor and serious topics in this middle grade graphic memoir. His character introductions and friends are hilarious, and he doesn't back down from the bullying and racism he faced or the resulting mental health struggles. It was great watching him build his support network and their efforts to save the school too. Do read the content warnings. #MiddleSchool #BIPOC #Nerds

Linus and Arthur‘s family continues to grow and strengthen in the face of oppression. This was just as corny, playful, sweet, laugh-out-loud, and heartwarming as the first book. The afterward was beautiful and made me cry a bit for various reasons. #LGBTQIA #Adoption

I like volume 2 even more than volume 1! We get a deeper look into the family personalities and discover a second secret ally. I really enjoyed the horror game chapter 😂 The mom also had a lot of moments of reflection and growth as she noticed happenings in the world around her and realized ways they might impact her son. #LGBTQIA #Manga #Motherhood

An adorable manga about a mom quietly being an ally for her less-than-subtle son who she suspects is gay. I enjoyed the high levels of fluff in this first volume. #LGBTQIA #Motherhood

Stevenson‘s yearly reflection web comic shines a lens on dysphoria, feeling like an imposter, and taking a mental health rollercoaster. I enjoyed the art style and thoughtful reflections captured here. #LGBTQIA #TransRightsReadathon

I very much loved some of the short stories in this collection, and others were just alright. So fun to find a collection of ace stories! #LGBTQIA #ShortStories #TransRightsReadathon

I usually manage to read at least one of them, so here are my September #Roll100 pics! I‘m not sure which The House Witch book I meant to have on my list because I didn‘t include author names and have been interested in reading both of these 🤭 coincidentally, I already started one of them! @PuddleJumper

As we gear up for #HauntedShelf hosted by @PuddleJumper here are some books you might add to your TBR! The Diviners and Thistlefoot are young adult horror combining the supernatural and the horrors of hate and xenophobia. Pumpkin Heads is an absolute unit of cozy following two best friends on their last day working a fall festival. I adore this one. Want to join the fun? Sign up:

https://forms.gle/wmcY27wyx6awp3EfA

Gearing up for #HauntedShelf in October hosted by @PuddleJumper ! I don‘t ever really have what one would call a proper TBR list or pile, so here are some random possibilities I could consider from my expansive list of titles I‘m vaguely or very interested in. Want to join in the fun? Sign up and enjoy at your pace!

https://forms.gle/wmcY27wyx6awp3EfA

A bright queer Victorian romance featuring bicycles, botany, redemption all over the place, and hilarious side characters. I loved this book! It is always fun finding a book that I can see my own relationship reflected in. I‘m also a sucker for enemies to lovers and redemption of antagonist characters. This book also has some really well done love scenes. #LGBTQIA #VictorianRomance #Botany #Bikes

History buff and reactor Amos discovers the people who are missing or barely acknowledged from our history. In this story told through letters he writes to a trans civil war soldier, he recounts his efforts to change this. I enjoyed this middle grade read, and learned some stuff along the way, which is a great bonus. #LGBTQIA #History #CivilWar

Even without having read the novels in this series, I enjoyed this graphic novel. The story is intriguing from start to finish. Fans of the series will likely enjoy this backstory and its nods to other happenings in the series. #Comics #Adaptations #Transmedia

A soft pick. In this graphic memoir, the author explores his life and feelings in a more abstract manner. It‘s definitely an interesting read, and I liked the monotone color scheme, he uses it to excellent effect for emphasis. #LGBTQIA #Nonfiction #LGBTQIA

We went camping for my birthday, and made sure to bring hammocks and books to enjoy together. I love reading in my hammock! #Camping #ReadOutside #Hammock

As Matti struggles to save his family‘s prospects, he is thrown unexpectedly into the path of a dashing con artist who begrudgingly becomes his sword instructor. Watching Matti and Luca fight their growing feelings as they chart a crash course for their own secrets and those of other characters is a treat. I enjoyed the character development in this book quite a bit. It is a slower paced book because it deals with business espionage. #LGBTQIA

I had the pleasure of helping to select this as an award winner for a local book award. It was a tough decision between this and another. Between its fun characters, thoughtful handling of panic attacks, interesting countdown style, and well crafted sex scenes, this book is an interesting read and I enjoyed it. Might not be everyone‘s cup of tea due to some of the tropes it uses. #LGBTQIA #AutumnBooks

I spotted this on top of donation book bins at the library where I work where old books that the Friends can't sell go. I almost bought it because the cover is just too much but ultimately abandoned it 😆

Had the opportunity to read this as a selector for a local book award. It's cute, very sexy, and fun, so if you're looking for a corny, playful holiday romance this might be a good one. It didn't make the final selection because a few things were a bit weak, mainly the development of the town and the premise of the town pouring its money into a competition with no actual reward but pride (not even increased tourism?). #ColoradoAuthor #LGBTQIA

Had the opportunity to read this as a selector for a local book award and it was a fun read. It was hard to choose between this and another in the same category. The characters are cute, and points for the cutest first date ever. The pop culture references got a little old (especially because I didn't know most of them) and were 85% of the character personalities. #ColoradoAuthor #LocalAuthor

I had the opportunity to read this as a selector for a local book award. It didn't win, but it was a fun read. The author includes many fun details about the historic setting and an annual fair. I enjoyed a misunderstanding a character had with a character's name being Fair or Fayre, but a series of typos took some of the wind out of this play. #ColoradoLocal #HistoricalRomance

Not my usual sort of book, but I got to read it as a selector for a local book award. A charming and sexy ranch-adjacent Hallmark-esque second-chance romance with sweet characters and a woman being siren songed away from her career by the prospect of a hottie in her home town. There is a lot in this book that the author still needs to develop. I Bailed when we got to Mac Truck.

Similar to @BookmarkTavern it is usually because I can't stop thinking about that particular book. Other times it's because the book feels perfect for a certain person, is related to a conversation, or similar to another book someone told me about. I recently recommended The Windup Bird Chronicles to a friend because of a book he was reading. he just finished and said he really enjoyed it. #SundayFunday

Members of a messy queer found family deal with their life struggles, whether it is midlife parenting and dating woes, feeling isolated, needing a new job, or striving for the education they want. The characters are inclusive, and their dynamics are delightful and complex. I was a little surprised by some later happenings and how the group responds. #LGBTQIA

Friendship and intense crushes don't mix well for these two teens who are attending summer camp to make up for a serious mishap. I liked seeing the ways that new friendships formed in this book, and the art style is charming. Always a pleasure to find inclusive stories. #LGBTQIA

I enjoyed reading Zetta‘s poems. She uses a variety of forms which makes this a highly dynamic read, and her work does an excellent job of driving home her point. These poems will catch your attention. The illustrations throughout were a nice touch. #Poetry

I‘ve got my #Roll100 picks for August all laid out! At least one of these will be moving off of my tbr and into my read pile this year 🤭 Thanks @PuddleJumper !

The June - December Bonus Bingo board is ready! #LGBTQIA2025 (I remembered to include my username this time!) Sorry this is 2 months late! I moved in May and have been in chaos mode for a while. It was updated on Storygraph on June 1, but that's it.

Tell me prompts you want to see on the 2026 board!

Download at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gm7PL-F3kqRqt2xj5WIUd9Jo-Q9pfcqj?usp=dri...

I am finally coming back into online spaces just a little bit this week after moving houses at the end of May. Everything has been a little chaotic and exhausting! I have a bunch of reviews to slowly catch up on, and I‘m hoping to have the bonus round for #LGBTQIA2025 Book Bingo soon (which I meant to post in June but just couldn‘t get to it).

This presents a reimagining of historically marginalized experiences by bringing magic into the mix. Similarly to LGBTQIA+ gatherings being broken up by policing forces, the magic users in this book run secret broom races, hidden from the persecuting eye of the law. I greatly enjoyed this book and even more so after reading the end notes. Incredibly inclusive. I happy cried a little. #LGBTQIA #Magic #Indigenous #BlackExperiences #DisabilitiesRep

I really enjoy the way Lucy Knisley's nonfiction comics are told. Her work is reflective and engaging. This book in particular is captivating as she reflects on different aspects of her life to pinpoint where her love of culinary experiences came from. I love the illustrated recipes throughout too and now really wish she had a graphic novel cookbook out. #comics #nonfiction #food

I read this with #QueerBC a while ago and am catching up on reviews. This book dives into second-generation Muslim American experiences, friendship, trauma, and being LGBTQIA in this community. The pacing and character development are well utilized, and the stories shared paint a strong picture. It was distressing that the girls‘ trauma was never addressed, often true in real life. Do read the content warnings. #LGBTQIA #MuslimAmerican

Stewart‘s epic storytelling and well-developed characters continue in this second book as Lin and Jovis continue to build their understanding of the complicated past that lead us them to this point. Between mysterious powers, morally gray decisions, complicated relationships, an encroaching army, and sinking islands, they have a lot to consider! And that ending was so fun/cute/surprising/exciting! 🤩 #Fantasy #LGBTQIA

Zack tries to cover for his team captain when a prank goes wrong, knowing it‘ll pay off later. During his summer of volunteering, he meets a cute guy who makes the “payoff” much more complicated. Overall, a charming summer romance and coming of age story. There were a few concepts that were a little weak and didn‘t hold my attention enough to remember why some things were significant. #LGBTQIA #Sports #Environmentalism #SummerRomance

This volume took things in an incredibly unexpected direction and I can‘t wait to see where they go with it! Also, I love the casual silly end comic where two side characters meet up and become allies. I‘m pretty sure that‘s going to be important later. #Manga #Comics #LGBTQIA

Another graphic novel I spotted at the library and picked up on impulse. This has pretty art, fun character designs, and a moody plot concept. The reading order is unpleasant, changing order whenever the artist wanted and often making little logical sense. The story feels a little like a square peg being pushed into a round hole, where both the world and story don‘t always want to follow their own rules. #Comics

This book was so much fun! To summarize: senior protagonist dealing with a unique curse, a chaos-loving hobgoblin, a powerful no-nonsense woman business partner, general hilarity, and inclusivity throughout. My husband received this book in a book exchange and it's quickly become a favorite. The audiobook was amazing too! (We haven't read other books in the Iron Druid series).

Three Canandian college friends take a trip to New York City. Their adventures are expressive and so much that happens in this book feels urgent like it burns too hot too fast. I love the character and page designs, especially their trip to the museum. The ending felt like falling flat on my face.
#Comics #LGBTQIA

Quite a lot learned in this volume! I‘m looking forward to seeing where else this story goes. #Manga #LGBTQIA