Wrap-up: July 2021

After a more chill July, following June’s…somewhat hectic schedule, we’re back to posting just a bit more in August, and have some great rec lists you won’t want to miss out on! But before we can get to that, here’s our wrap-up of the month just gone.

What we read

Anna

Up All Night ed. by Laura Silverman (bi disabled mc, sapphic mc, nonbinary li, Jewish bi mc, Black gay mc, Indian American gay li, gay, lesbian, bi & nonbinary characters) – 3 🌈 TW for child sexual abuse, domestic abuse, infidelity, car crash, death of a parent, self harm [review]
Like a Love Song by Gabriela Martins (Jewish bisexual li, lesbian Pakistani American side character, bisexual Brazilian American side character) – 4 🌈 [review]

Charlotte

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia (Black lesbian mc, Latina sapphic li, Latino gay side character) – 2 🌈 cw rape threats, racial slurs, sexual harassment, attempted rape, femicide
The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco (lesbian mcs, mc with PTSD) – 4 🌈
The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman (Indian-coded cast, gay mc, lesbian side characters) – 3 🌈 [review]
Tall Bones by Anna Bailey (gay mc, Romanian gay li) – 4 🌈 cw domestic abuse, homophobia, racism, implied paedophilia, child abuse, sexual assault, implied rape, homophobic violence, incest, racist violence, attempted lynching
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (Vietnamese gay mc) – 3 🌈 cw past domestic abuse, animal death, homophobia, mentions of homophobic violence, abortion, drug addiction, overdoses

Fools in Love ed. by Rebecca Podos & Ashley Herring Blake (sapphic mc, bi/pan li; sapphic mc, sapphic li with anxiety; sapphic mc, lesbian li; bi mc, lesbian li; Black gay mc & li, bi side character; bi characters, polyamory; Persian lesbian mc, Chinese American bi li; Black sapphic mc, sapphic li; Black sapphic mc & li; trans gay mc, achillean li; Chinese-coded cast, sapphic mc & li; Jewish lesbian mc, bi li) – 4 🌈 [review]
Reputation by Lex Croucher (sapphic mc?, biracial Black sapphic character, lesbian character, gay character) – 5 🌈 cw sexual assault, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, implied rape, attempted rape
Sword Stone Table ed. by Swapna Krishna & Jenn Northington (gay mc; lesbian mc, sapphic li; Thai gay mc, gay side characters; bi li; gay mc, British Indian gay character; gay mc, Hindu gay li) – 2 🌈
Flowers of Luna by Jennifer Linsky (biracial Japanese lesbian mc & li, nonbinary side character) – 2 🌈
The Final Child by Fran Dorricott (lesbian mcs) – 5 🌈 cw child death, child abduction, gore, amputation, violence, child abuse, past suicide [review]

Earth to Charlie by Justin Olson (achillean mc?, gay side character) – 1 🌈
Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters (lesbian mc, bi/pan mc, bi agender side character) – 3 🌈
Like a Love Song by Gabriela Martins (Jewish bi li, Pakistani American lesbian side character, Brazilian American bi side character) – 3 🌈 [review]
Sea Wolf by Anna Burke (lesbian mc & li, lesbian side characters) – 3 🌈 cw gore, violence, amputation [review]
Sisters of Shadow by Katherine Livesey (lesbian mc & li) – 1 🌈 cw torture [review]

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (Black gay mc, Black gay li, Black lesbian mc, bi li) – 2.5 🌈 cw outing, homophobia, hit and run, homophobic violence, racism, past attempted suicide
The Exiled Fleet by J. S. Dewes (sapphic characters) – 2.5 🌈 [review]
Jade Fire Gold by June C. L. Tan (Chinese coded cast & setting, sapphic characters, achillean character) – 4 🌈 cw implied torture, violence, blood, gore, death of a parent [review]
The Dry by Jane Harper (gay characters) – 4 🌈 cw child death, implied suicide, gore, past child abuse
A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft (gay character, lesbian character, sapphic character) – 5 🌈 cw antisemitism, animal injury, animal death, gore, parental neglect, panic attacks [review]

A Dutiful Boy by Mohsin Zaidi (memoir) – 3 🌈
Merry Measure by Lily Morton (gay mc, bi mc) – 3 🌈

What we watched (and listened to)

Charlotte

Borderliner (S1) cr. Megan Gallagher (gay mc) cw (up to ep 3) suicide, death, gore, vomiting
All the Sins (S1) cr. Merja Aakko & Mika Ronkainen (gay mc) – 2 🌈 cw murder, blood, vomiting, mentions of suicide, animal deaths, homophobic slurs, past child abuse, Islamophobia, domestic abuse, violence, car accident, past police brutality, past child sexual abuse, mentions of self harm, drug use, past homophobic abuse
Third Man Out (2005) dir. Ron Oliver (gay mc & li, gay side characters, lesbian side character) – 3 🌈 cw f slur, outing, homophobia, child sexual abuse, paedophilia
The Frozen Dead (S1) cr. Gérard Carré, Pascal Chaumeil & Caroline Van Ruymbeke (lesbian mc & li) – 4 🌈 cw animal death, vomiting, blood, castration, abortion mention, death in car accident, past child sexual abuse, suicide (images shown), past sexual harassment, past rape, paedophilia
The Valhalla Murders (S1) cr. Thordur Palsson (gay mc & li) – 4.5 🌈 cw death, blood, gore, eye gore, police brutality, vomiting, past self harm, institutional abuse, implied rape, gang rape, child death, suicide (body on screen)
The Mire ’97 (S2) cr. Jan Holoubek & Kasper Bajon cw (up to ep 3) labour camps, drowning, child death, antisemitism, vomiting, homophobia, g slur, attempted suicide

Anna

for once, didn’t watch anything.

On the blog

• Our July book of the month.
• Interviews with Clara Alves and Adan Jerreat Poole.
• ARC reviews (and mixes!) for Rise to the Sun, Up All Night, Sea Wolf and Like a Love Song.
• Releases lists for YA from July-December, sapphic releases from July-December and bi/pan rep from July-December.
• June’s music releases and August’s book releases.

On other blogs

• Louise @ Foxes and Fairy Tales reviewed Afterlove by Tanya Byrne.
• Sara @ Lyrical Reads interviewed K. Ancrum.
• Asha @ A Cat, a Book and a Cup of Tea reviewed Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki.
• CW @ The Quiet Pond reviewed A Clash of Steel by C. B. Lee and In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu.

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