Wrap-up: August 2020

I don’t know about you, but somehow August seems to have simultaneously lasted forever and also been as short as anything. It’s some kind of magic trick, I’m sure.

Also can you believe it’s autumn already?

But anyway. Enough of that. Have a scroll through our August summary to see what we enjoyed!

What we read

Anna

Like Water by Rebecca Podos (bi Latina mc, genderqueer lesbian li, Latino side character with the huntington’s disease, Latinx side characters) – 5 🌈
🔥 Crush by Richard Siken (poetry; gay author) – 5 🌈
Iron Heart by Nina Varela (lesbian poc mc, bi poc mc, poc cast, side m/nb couple, side mlm & wlw couples) – 4 🌈 [review] tw body horror (chapter 6 & 14), panic attack, torture, murder
🔥 Joyride, Vol. 1 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Marcus To & Irma Kniivila (sapphic mcs, poc characters) – 4 🌈
🔥 Joyride, Vol. 2 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Marcus To & Irma Kniivila (sapphic mcs, poc characters) – 4 🌈
🔥 Joyride, Vol. 3 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Marcus To & Irma Kniivila (sapphic mcs, poc characters) – 5 🌈

Charlotte

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson (memoir) – 3 🌈
Spindrift by Anna Burke (lesbian mc & li, bi & lesbian side characters) – 4 🌈 [review]
Night Flowers Shirking from the Light of the Sun by Li Xing (Chinese lesbian mcs, gay, trans & nonbinary side characters) – 4 🌈
After the Parade by Lori Ostlund (gay mc, gay & lesbian side characters) – 2 🌈
The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson (lesbian mc, bi mc, bi & nonbinary side characters) – 4.5 🌈 [review]

The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky (British Pakistani lesbian mc with PTSD, lesbian li, Persian trans character) – 4 🌈 [review]
I Kissed Alice by Anna Birch (lesbian mc, bi mc) – 3.5 🌈
Laurel Everywhere by Erin Moynihan (lesbian mc) – 2.5 🌈 [review]
The Testimony of Alys Twist by Suzannah Dunn (bi mc) – 2 🌈 [review]
The Lady Upstairs by Halley Sutton (bi mc) – 3 🌈 [review]

The Bright Lands by John Fram (gay mc & side characters) – 4 🌈
Blood Runs Through the Heart by L. L. Shelton (lesbian mcs) – 1 🌈
Thorn of the Night Blossoms by JC Kang (Chinese bi mc) – 2 🌈
Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson (poetry) – 3.5 🌈
Forgive Me, My Love, the Ice and Sea by C. L. Clark (lesbian mcs) – 4 🌈

You Perfect, Broken Thing by C. L. Clark (wlw mc with chronic illness) – 3.5 🌈
Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston (Black lesbian mc, Black bi & nonbinary characters) – 2.5 🌈 [review]
The Country Village Christmas Show by Cathy Lake (pan character) – 1.5 🌈 [review]
The Betrayals by Bridget Collins (bi mc) – 3.5 🌈 [review]
🔥 Work for It by Talia Hibbert (Black gay mc with anxiety & depression, bi mc, bi side character) – 4 🌈

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (Chinese lesbian mc, lesbian side characters) – 2.5 🌈
The Conductors by Nicole Glover (Black gay characters, Black trans side character) – 4.5 🌈 [review]
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (gay mc, Chinese trans mc) – 2 🌈 [review]
Topics About Which I Know Nothing by Patrick Ness (gay characters) – 3 🌈

What we watched (and listened to)

Charlotte

Get Even (S1) dir. Andrew Gunn & Sarah Walker (wlw mc, Black wlw li, gay side character) – 2.5 🌈
Teenage Bounty Hunters (ep 1) cr. Kathleen Jordan (bi mc, lesbian li)
Motherland: Fort Salem (ep1) cr. Eliot Laurence (wlw mcs)

Anna

Sam Jay: 3 in the Morning (2020) dir. Kristian Mercado (stand-up comedy; Black lesbian comic) – 3 🌈
Charlie’s Angels (2019) dir. Elizabeth Banks (wlw mcs) – 2.5 🌈

On the blog

• Interviews with E. M. Hamill and Sidney Hargrave.
• Rec lists for songs from July, Arthuriana, music recs for songs at the midsection of🌈 and ☠️🦷🦇, adult fantasy, adult sci fi, sapphic YA fantasy and sapphic coming of age films.
• Releases posts for sapphic releases of July-December.
• Our August book of the month.
• An ARC review of Spindrift.
• All of September’s releases.

On other blogs

• Kate @ Your Tita Kate wrote an excellent review of Court of Lions and interviewed Brij Bautista.
• Kathy @ Pages Below Vaulted Sky wrote a couple of mini reviews.
• Rachel @ Anxious Nacho wrote a review of The Space Between Worlds.
• Annie @ Queer Books Unbound featured a guest post by May Peterson.
• Angharad @ Two Book Thieves wrote a lovely review of Feathertide and featured Diana Pinguicha reccing her fave LGBT books.
• Dahlia @ LGBTQReads featured guest posts by Abigail de Niverville and Kelly Farmer.
• May @ Forever and Everly wrote a review of The Bone Shard Daughter.
• Cam @ Camillea Reads also wrote a review of The Bone Shard Daughter.
• Michelle @ Magical Reads interviewed Andrea Stewart and Mara Fitzgerald.

So, how was August for you? What did you read and watch?

Since you’re here, please consider doing any number of the following to support Black Lives Matter, and the protests regarding police brutality in the USA.

Donate to bail funds and supplies for protestors, gofundmes of victims of police violence, mutual aid organisations and Black-owned businesses impacted by the violence.

You can donate even if you have no funds by watching videos where all ad revenue will go towards the BLM movement.

Sign petitions.

Get in contact with mayors and district attorneys, and maintain pressure on them.

Educate yourself further through the resources found on the carrd and others.

Pride was initiated following riots against police violence and raids, and those at Stonewall Inn were led by trans and lesbian women of colour, many of whom were Black. We owe them our support.

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