January was a bumper month for us: we hit our new record views for a day, and also for the month (by a long way), we hit 5k followers on twitter, and then we surpassed our record views for the day again. (Now all that’s left is to hit 1k followers on here…) There was a lot going on. And in between all that, we read a few things (though neither of us managed to watch anything gay at all).
What we read
Anna
Felicity by Mary Oliver (poetry) – 5 🌈
🔥 Sunblind by Ramona Meisel (poetry; m/m) – 1 🌈
Killer Queens by David Booher, Claudia Balboni, Harry Saxon & Lucas Gottoni (lesbian mc, gay mc, gay character, lesbian characters) – 4 🌈
Real Hero Shit by Kendra Wells (pan polyam mc, poc nb mc, gay mc) – 4 🌈
Season’s Change by Cait Nary (gay mc with anxiety, bi mc) – 5 🌈 tw internalised homophobia, implied past homophobic abuse, vomiting, panic attacks, toxic parents, blood & violence (hockey)
Charlotte
We Speak in Storms by Natalie Lund (gay mc) – 2 🌈 cw implied child sexual abuse, animal abuse, cancer, death of a parent, homophobia, homophobic slurs, racism, sexual assault/rape, eating disorder
Longshadow by Olivia Atwater (lesbian mc, nonbinary li) – 3 🌈
Good Neighbors by Stephanie Burgis (achillean characters, sapphic characters) – 4 🌈 [review]
Activation Degradation by Marina J. Lostetter (agender(?) mc, achillean characters, nonbinary intersex character) – 3 🌈 cw gore, violence, body horror
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (lesbian mcs) – 3 🌈 cw eye horror, body horror [review]
Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot (lesbian mc) – 3 🌈 cw violence, amputation [review]
If You Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So (British Chinese bi mc, British Chinese lesbian side character, British Indian sapphic side character, biracial Black sapphic side character, Vietnamese nonbinary bi side character, Chinese side characters, Chinese gay side character, gay & sapphic side characters) – 4 🌈 cw past toxic relationship, homophobia
I’m Sorry This Isn’t Porn And Other Apologies by Verity Ritchie (trans mcs, bi mcs, gay side characters) – 2.5 🌈 cw violence, misgendering, transphobia
The Girls on the Shore by Ann Cleeves (gay mc) – 3 🌈
Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore (lesbian mc, sapphic li, nonbinary side character) – 3 🌈 [review]
Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May (lesbian mc, nonbinary lesbian mc, bi side character) – 4.5 🌈 cw domestic violence, child abuse, magic requiring self harm, blood [review]
Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (genderfluid characters) – 4 🌈
The Break Up by Charlotte Barnes (bi mc, lesbian side character) – 1.5 🌈 cw transphobia [review]
Game Changer by Neal Shusterman (gay characters) – 3 🌈 cw racism, homophobia, domestic abuse, suicide
And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling (gay mc) – 3 🌈 cw kidnapping, drug use, blood, rape threats, gun violence [review]
Every Variable of Us by Charles A. Bush (Black bi mc, Indian American lesbian li) – 2 🌈 cw Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, gun violence, drug addiction, kicking out [review]
Survive the Dome by Kosoko Jackson (Black gay mc, Black gay li) – 3 🌈 cw police brutality, racism, racial slurs, gun violence [review]
Fall of the Argosi by Sebastien de Castell (lesbian mc with PTSD, lesbian li) – 4 🌈 cw violence, gore, child death, past adult-minor relationship
Wolf of Mine by C. A. Hall (lesbian mcs) – 2 🌈
Icebreaker by A. L. Graziadei (bi mc with anxiety & depression, Black gay li, Black sapphic side character, lesbian side character, polyamorous side characters) – 3.5 🌈 cw alcohol abuse
Stories to Sing in the Dark by Matthew Bright (achillean mcs, sapphic mcs) – 4 🌈 cw homophobia, homophobic abuse, torture
Our Sister, Again by Sophie Cameron (sapphic mc, sapphic li) – 4 🌈
Subtle Blood by K. J. Charles (gay mc, bi/pan li, sapphic side characters) – 3 🌈 cw gun violence, past child abuse, past self harm
They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe (lesbian mc) – 4 🌈 cw suicide, drowning [review]
Beloved Poison by E. S. Thomson (sapphic mc, sapphic side character) – 3 🌈 cw gore, medical procedures, implied child sexual abuse
Oracle Bone by Lydia Kwa (Chinese cast & setting, gay mc, Indian achillean li) – 4 🌈 cw rape, suicide
Last Call at the Nightingale by Katharine Schellman (bi/pan mc, lesbian side character) – 3 🌈 cw violence, implied rape, implied child sexual abuse [review]
All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown (gay mc, bi mc) – 3.5 🌈 cw gore, gun violence, homophobia [review]
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (Latina sapphic trans mc, Japanese sapphic mc, sapphic mc) – 2 🌈 cw transphobia, misgendering, parental abuse, rape, prostitution, racism, racial slurs, deadnaming, gore, violence, sexual assault, homophobic/lesbophobic/transphobic slurs
Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha (bi mc, gay side character) – 3 🌈 cw violence
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland (Turkish coded cast & setting, gay mc with depression and anxiety, bi mc, achillean side character, nonbinary side characters) – 2.5 🌈 cw violence, panic attacks [review/review #2]
What we watched (and listened to)
Charlotte
Woops…
Anna
Awkward.
Music on repeat
Knockin’ by Kimmortal
PARIS by GARRETT PAKNIS
I’m Back ! by Tyler James Bellinger
Higher by Keiynan Lonsdale
Fellowship by serpentwithfeet
On the blog
- Our favourite reads and favourite watches of 2021.
- Our January book of the month.
- Interviews with Jae Waller and Cait Nary.
- An ARC review for The Bone Spindle.
- Rec lists for indie, small press & self published books and books with less than 400 Goodreads ratings.
- Releases lists for 2022’s non-cis books, books with bi/pan mcs, YA books, & sapphic books.
- December’s music releases and February’s book releases.
- A cover reveal for Cynthia So’s If You Still Recognise Me, hosted on twitter and instagram.
So, how was January for you? What did you read and watch?
