After six years’ worth of October, we’ve finally made it to November (whether this is a good thing remains to be seen)! As you can see, Anna had a…somewhat subdued month of reading, while I managed a single episode of a TV show which wasn’t even that good.

At least we had the reverse luck with the others.

And, in October, our Alternative Choice Awards opened for 2020 so

Go Vote!

What we read

Anna

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (Mexican-Cuban-American gay trans mc, Colombian-American gay li with ADHD, lesbian side character, trans side character) – 5 🌈 tw deadnaming (name not on page), misgendering, transphobia, mentions of death of a parent, mentions of past gang violence, blood
We Go Together by Abigail de Niverville (bi mc, trans li, Mi’kmaw bi side character, Mi’kmaw gay side character, sapphic side character, mlm side character) – 3 🌈 tw past toxic relationship, past rape, transphobia (off-page), teen pregnancy (off-page), incarceration (off-page) [review]

Charlotte

Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackson (Black gay mc, gay lis) – 4 🌈 cw mentions of cancer [review]
A Longing for the Light by Vicente Aleixandre (poetry) – 4 🌈
Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh (Nigerian American wlw mc) – 3 🌈 cw rape, emotional abuse
The Stone Knife by Anna Stephens (gay mcs, bi mc) – 2.5 🌈 cw gore, violence, child death, torture, animal death, human sacrifice, cannibalism [review]
Rebelwing by Andrea Tang (Korean American bi character, lesbian character) – 4 🌈 cw death of a parent

Power Plays & Straight A’s by Eden Finley & Saxon James (bi mc, gay mc) – 2 🌈
Face Offs & Cheap Shots by Eden Finley & Saxon James (pan mc, gay mc) – 3 🌈 (and 🔥)
Bestiary by K-Ming Chang (Taiwanese American lesbian mc, Taiwanese wlw side characters) – 4 🌈 cw child abuse, domestic abuse, amputation [review]
Chase: The Boy Who Hid by Z Jeffries (bi mc, nonbinary character, Black lesbian character) – 1 🌈 [review]
Frost by Elizabeth Knox (bi mc, lesbian mc) – 1 🌈 cw mentions of rape and torture, implied torture, dubious consent sex scene

Wolf Moon: The House on Bloom Street by Ceeley Mack (trans mc) – 3 🌈
The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate, trans. by David Bowles (gay mc) – 4 🌈 cw homophobia and homophobic violence [review]
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (wlw, mlm & trans characters) – 4 🌈
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (bi li, wlw, mlm & nonbinary side characters) – 3.5 🌈 cw death of a parent, descriptions of car accidents, mentions of slavery, racism, child abuse, violence, flashback to rape scene, gore
The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco (wlw, mlm & trans characters) – 4.5 🌈

This is What it Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow (Black lesbian mc, wlw li, bi mc with alcohol addiction) – 5 🌈 cw death resulting from car accident, past alcohol abuse
The Shadowglass by Rin Chupeco (wlw, mlm & trans characters) – 4.5 🌈
The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin (Black bi li, side polyamory) – 3.5 🌈
Dream Work by Mary Oliver (poetry) – 4 🌈
Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (bi character, gay character) – 5 🌈

Eight Pieces of Silva by Patrice Lawrence (Black lesbian mc, wlw side characters) – 3.5 🌈 cw toxic relationship
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (Afro Dominican American lesbian mc, Black wlw li) – 2.5 🌈 cw parent death, attempted rape, sexual assault
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell (bi mc, gay mc, nonbinary, wlw & mlm side characters) – 4 🌈 cw past abusive relationship [review]
Meet Cute Club by Jack Harbon (Black gay mcs) – 3 🌈
A Ruin of Shadows by L. D. Lewis (nonbinary character) – 2 🌈 cw gore

No Room at the Inn by Brooke Winters (autistic lesbian mc, bi li) – 2 🌈
After the People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones (gay characters) – 3.5 🌈 cw homophobic violence, homophobic slurs, gore, torture
No Two Ways by Chi Yu Rodriguez (Filipino bi mc) – 2 🌈
The Boss’s Daughter by J. T. Marie (butch lesbian mc, lesbian li) – 2 🌈
Have Mercy by Christina Lee (gay mc, bi mc with PTSD) – 3 🌈 cw homophobia, past injury and death

And Shall Machines Surrender by Benjanun Sriduangkaew (lesbian mcs, nonbinary side characters) – 2 🌈
Peasprout Chen, Future Legend of Skate and Sword by Henry Lien (sapphic character) – 4.5 🌈 cw child abuse, implied torture

What we watched (and listened to)

Charlotte

Traitors (S1) dir. Dearbhla Walsh & Alex Winckler (gay character) – DNF cw period typical homophobia

Anna

Disclosure (2020), dir. Sam Feder (documentary) – 4 🌈
Query (2020), dir. Sophie Kargman (Black mlm mc, mlm mc) – 4 🌈
Imagine Me & You (2005), dir. Ol Parker (lesbian mc, sapphic mc) – 5 🌈
But I’m a Cheerleader (1999), dir. Jamie Babbit (lesbian mc, lesbian & gay characters) – 2.5 🌈
Kiss of the Rabbit God (2019), dir. Andrew Huang (Chinese mlm mcs) – 4 🌈

Front Cover (2015), dir. Ray Yeung (Chinese-American gay mc, Chinese gay li) – 3 🌈
Fireflies (2018), dir. Bani Khoshnoudi (Iranian gay mc, Mexican mlm characters) – 2.5 🌈 tw attempted rape, internalised homophobia, rasicm
Unpregnant (2020), dir. Rachel Goldenberg (lesbian mc, lesbian side character) – 4 🌈
🔥 Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (2020), dir. Madeleine Parry (stand-up comedy; lesbian comic with austism) – 5 🌈
Grand Army (S1), cr. Katie Cappiello (Indian-American gay mc, bi character) – 2 🌈 tw rape, drugs, racism

On the blog

• Interviews with Z Jeffries (and ARC review) and Kalynn Bayron.
• Rec lists for songs from September, books to match Siken quotes, spooky season, king and lionheart trope and films with two QPOC leads.
• A discussion post on LGBT rep in the Goodreads Choice Awards.
• Our October book of the month.
• All of November’s releases.

On other blogs

• Kappa @ Kappa Reads reviewed Cemetery Boys.
• Dahlia @ LGBTQReads posted a guest post by A. J. Sass and behind the scenes of the anthology Rural Voices.
• Fadwa @ Word Wonders interviewed Aiden Thomas.
• Rhi @ Marshmallow Harmonies ranked her favourite sapphic books of 2020.
• Kate @ Your Tita Kate reviewed Beyond the Ruby Veil.
• Rach @ Anxious Nachos reviewed The Once and Future Witches.

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

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